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TIES 1
E-Rate Program OverviewNovember 2011
Mary MehsikomerTechnology Integration Development & Outreach Facilitator – TIES
Minnesota E-Rate Coordinator for Schools(651) 999-6510
11/21/2011
TIES 2
Agenda
• General information about E-rate• Technology planning• Requesting services (FCC Form 470)• Competitive bidding process• Ordering services (FCC Form 471)• Application review & funding commitments• Begin receiving services (FCC Form 486)• Invoicing USAC (FCC Form 472 and FCC Form 474)• Deadlines
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TIES 3
What are E-Rates?
• Federal program • Discounts on Internet access and
telecommunications services for schools and libraries
• 20-90% based on free and reduced price lunch eligibility
• Funded through the Universal Service Fund
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TIES 4
Operation
• Federal Communications Commission (FCC), an independent U.S. government agency, established and oversees the E-rate program
• Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC), a not-for-profit, administers the E-rate program along with three other programs
• Schools and Libraries Division (SLD) is the part of USAC with responsibility for E-rate
• Program enacted in Telecommunications Act of 1996 – began operation in 1998
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TIES 5
Funding Year (FY) vs. Fiscal Year (FY)
• E-rate operates from July 1 through June 30 each year
• Funding Year (FY) is determined by the year in which services begin
• Funding Year 11 = July 1, 2011 – June 30, 2012• State Fiscal Year (FY) for that year would be
FY12 – July 1, 2011 – June 30, 2012
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TIES 6
How much money is there?
• $2.25 billion annually – adjusted for inflation• FCC can roll over unused funding once each year • Funding is divided by Priority 1 and Priority 2• Priority 1 – Telecommunications and Internet
Access Services • Priority 2 – Internal Connections and Basic
Maintenance on Internal Connection• Minnesota schools and libraries leverage between
$20-25 million each year
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TIES 7
Who is eligible?
• Public school districts, schools, and charter schools
• Nonpublic schools • Public libraries and public library systems• Consortia – groups of eligible schools and/or
libraries that group together to aggregate demand, create network efficiency, and negotiate cooperative puchasing
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TIES 8
How do we know what our discount will be?
• 20-90 percent • Based on free and reduced price lunch
eligibility• Rural or urban location
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TIES 9
The Matrix
• Does not refer to the Keanu Reeves movie• Is a table that illustrates the level of discounts
and conditions
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Beginner’s Presentation I 2011 Schools & Libraries Fall Applicant Trainings 10
Discount MatrixINCOME
% of students eligible for NSLPURBAN LOCATION
Discount RURAL LOCATION
Discount If the % eligible is... ...and you’re in an URBAN area,
your discount will be... ...and you’re in a RURAL area,
your discount will be...Less than 1% 20% 25%
1% to 19% 40% 50% 20% to 34% 50% 60%
35% to 49% 60% 70%
50% to 74% 80% 80%
75% to 100% 90% 90%
TIES 11
Timeline
• Technology Plan• Form 470 – July 1• Form 471 – Application Window • Form 486 – 120 days after Funding
Commitment Decision Letter or 120 days after service start date – whichever is later
• Form 472 (BEAR) – Quarterly or 120 days after last day of service
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TIES 12
Categories of Service
• Priority 1 (funded for all)– Telecommunications Services– Internet Access – Telecommunications
• Priority 2 (funded for neediest)– Internal Connections– Basic Maintenance of Internal Connections
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TIES 13
The Steps of E-Rate
• Write a technology plan• File Form 470• Conduct the bid process and choose vendors • File Form 471 • Application Review• Funding Commitment• Form 486• Form 472 (BEAR) 11/21/2011
TIES 14
Technology Planning
• Elements– Needs assessment– Goals and strategies for using technology to
improve education or library services– Professional Development– Evaluation Strategy
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TIES 15
Do I need a technology plan?
• If only applying for Priority 1 services an approved technology plan is not needed
BUT….• If there is Priority 2 classified equipment on
site at the school provided by the service provider – an approved technology plan is recommended
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TIES 16
What is the deadline for the technology plan?
• A technology plan must be WRITTEN before a school district files any Form 470s
• File it and put a “creation date” on it • Technology plan must be approved by the
time the Form 486 is filed or July 1 of the program year occurs – whichever is earlier
• MDE is the tech plan approver – see http://www.education.state.mn.us/MDE/Learning_Support/School_Technology/Tech_Planning/index.html11/21/2011
TIES 17
MDE Technology Planning Resources
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TIES 18
MDE’s Process
• Needs assessment tools– Technology Infrastructure Survey– Instructional Uses of Technology Infrastructure
• Technology Plan Template • Recommend submitting SOON
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TIES 19
File Form 470
• Form 470 used to request service from vendors – describe services and scope of need
• Competitive bidding process • May involve an RFP • RFP must be available for entire posting time
of Form 470• 28 days at minimum • Receipt Acknowledgement Letter (RAL)
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TIES 20
BEN and PIN
• Not characters in a children’s book about bunny rabbits and kittens
• BEN = Billed Entity Number • PIN = Personal Identification Number • RFP = Request for Proposals • In Minnesota RFP required for purchases
exceeding $50,000
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TIES 21
Competitive Bidding
• Be open, fair, and above all, careful• Beware of gifts • Make sure all vendors have access to the same
information• Keep documentation • Make sure roles relationships are clearly
delineated• Price is primary factor – most heavily weighted
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TIES 22
Form 471
• Services and service providers chosen• Identifying eligible entities• Calculate discounts• Certify compliance with program rules • Filed during application window • Includes Item 21 attachments
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TIES 23
FRNs and SPINS
• FRN = Funding Request Number – assigned to each request on the Form 471
• SPIN = Service Provider Identification Number • Must have a SPIN assigned to the service
provider • Item 21 Attachment – Further description of
services associated with a funding request • Receipt Acknowledgement Letter
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TIES 24
What’s a NIF?
• Noninstructional Facility • Eligible for Priority 1 services • School building with no classrooms or library
building with no public areas • Examples – bus garages, athletic facilities,
some service cooperative or regional management information center offices
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TIES 25
Application Review and Funding Commitments
• Application review is done by PIA • Program Integrity Assurance • May request documentation • Several layers of review • Check Form 471 application status at
http://www.sl.universalservice.org/menu.asp
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TIES 26
What PIA is doing
• Verifying eligibility of schools • Verifying services are eligible • Allowing some corrections to the application• Additional verification
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TIES 27
Funding Commitment Decision Letter
• Issued by SLD when application review is completed
• Review it carefully • Also known as FCDL • Details on what is/is not approved for funding• Can be appealed
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TIES 28
Form 486
• Notifies USAC that eligible services have started and invoices can be processed and paid
• Provide the name of TPA (Technology Plan Approver)
• Report status of compliance with CIPA
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TIES 29
CIPA
• Children’s Internet Protection Act • Internet Safety/Acceptable Use Policy • One public hearing • Educating students on cyberbullying and
Internet safety • Internet filter - “technology protection
measure”
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TIES 30
Invoicing
• Use BEARS if not directly discounted by service provider (AKA Form 472) – work with service provider to decide
• BEAR – Billed Entity Applicant Reimbursement• Recommend quarterly BEAR filing • Must be completed by 120 days after last day
of service UNLESS granted an extension• Quarterly disbursement report
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TIES 31
Questions?
• For more detail, refer to USAC Training Slides at http://www.usac.org/sl/about/training-sessions/training-2011/fall/presentations.aspx
• Call USAC/SLD at 1-888-203-8100 • Call or e-mail Mary Mehsikomer at (651) 999-
6510 or [email protected]
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