1 / 26

E-Rate

E-Rate . APLS Administration July 26, 2018. Who is the FCC?. Federal Communications Commission An independent U.S. government agency that oversees the E-Rate program. What is USAC?. Universal Service Administrative Company

more
Télécharger la présentation

E-Rate

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. E-Rate APLS Administration July 26, 2018

  2. Who is the FCC? • Federal Communications Commission • An independent U.S. government agency that oversees the E-Rate program.

  3. What is USAC? Universal Service Administrative Company • USAC is an independent, not-for-profit corporation designated as the permanent administrator of universal service by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) pursuant to Part 54 of Title 47 of the Code of Federal Regulations. • USAC administers the universal service fund and the universal service programs for companies serving rural areas, low-income consumers, eligible health care providers, and schools and libraries. This work helps provide communities across the country with affordable telecommunications services.

  4. What is E-Rate? • Helps ensure that schools and libraries can obtain high-speed internet access, Wi-Fi and telecommunications at an affordable rate. • Keeps students and library patrons connected to broadband by providing a discount on eligible services. The percentage of funds you can receive is based on the National School Lunch Programs(NCLP) for the schools in your service area.

  5. Eligible Services Funding Categories of Service • The ESL includes five service types that fall in one of two funding categories: • Category One Services • Data Transmission Services and/or Internet Access • Voice Services (Starting with Funding Year (FY) 2019, Voice Services are no longer eligible) • Category Two Services • Internal Connections • Managed Internal Broadband Services • Basic Maintenance of Internal Connections

  6. Category One Services Data Transmission Services and/or Internet Access • This service type covers broadband connectivity and basic conduit access to the internet. These services cannot include charges for content, end-user devices or equipment purchases (other than those necessary for transmission of Category One services), or other services beyond basic conduit access to the internet. This service type also includes leased lit fiber, leased dark fiber, and self-provisioned broadband networks.

  7. Category Two Services Internal Connections and Managed Internal Broadband Services (MIBS) • These two service types include eligible products, such as access points, routers, switches, hubs, and wiring. • Eligible products are located at the applicant site and must be necessary to transport information to classrooms or publicly accessible areas of a library. Eligible Service List ESL Glossary

  8. Who is eligible? 1. Elementary and secondary schools and school districts can be eligible. • Public, private, charter, parochial, and Tribal – types of schools and school districts • Non-traditional facilities: Pre-K, Head Start, juvenile justice, and adult education, are eligible if they fit their state’s definitions of elementary/secondary education • Libraries and library systems can be eligible • Public, private, academic, research, Tribal- types of libraries and library systems. • Bookmobiles and kiosks are eligible if they are considered library branches in their state.

  9. Definition of a library Libraries must meet the statutory definition of library or library consortium found in the Library Services and Technology Act of 1996 (LSTA) (20 U.S.C. Section 9122) and must be eligible for assistance from a state library administrative agency under that Act. • The definition of a library includes: • A public library* *I edited this definition because it was stating other libraries that might be eligible. You can locate the full definition on the USAC Website.

  10. What do I need to do to apply? You will need to set up and EPC account or the E-Rate Productivity Center • EPC is the E-Rate account management and application portal for applicants, service providers and consultants • Here you, the applicant, can file most program forms • Maintain a list of your related entities, if you are a library with branches for library systems

  11. How do I apply? You will need to call the USAC’s Client Service Bureau at 888-203-8100 to set up an account in EPC Make sure your school or library has a (Billed) Entity Number (BEN), an ID number assigned to applicant entities

  12. Form 470 • After applicants certify an FCC Form 470 in the E-rate Productivity Center (EPC), it is posted publicly. Applicants can also issue a request for proposal (RFP) or related bidding document. Service providers can then review the posted FCC Form 470 information and submit bids. Some state or local procurement rules or regulations require applicants to issue an RFP in addition to the FCC Form 470. Also, applicants may choose to issue an RFP even though one is not required by state or local procurement regulations. FCC rules require that, if applicants issue an RFP, it must be uploaded as part of the online FCC Form 470 filing process.

  13. Form 471 • The FCC Form 471 must be filed during a specific application window each year. In general, the application filing window opens about six months before the start of the funding year and is open for about two and a half months. All applications certified before the close of the filing window are considered as having arrived on the same day, and have priority over those certified after the filing window has closed. The specific opening and closing dates of the filing window are published in advance on this website. • After the FCC Form 471 is certified, USAC will issue an FCC Form 471 Receipt Acknowledgment Letter (RAL) in an entity's E-rate Productivity Center (EPC) account. This letter contains links to the applicant profile and the form, provides a means to correct certain errors, and discusses the next steps in the application process.

  14. How to Construct an Evaluation When an applicant examines and evaluates the bids received for eligible services, it must select the most cost-effective bid. The price of the eligible products and services must be the primary factor in the evaluation, but does not have to be the sole factor. Other relevant evaluation factors may include: • prior experience including past performance; • personnel qualifications including technical excellence; • management capability including schedule compliance; or • environmental objectives. Note: The price factor cannot include ineligible costs. Ineligible services can be included in the evaluation, as long as they are in a separate price factor that is weighted less heavily. Evaluation Example 1: The following example meets program guidelines, as the price of the eligible products and services is weighted higher than any other single factor and does not include any ineligible cost factors:

  15. Evaluation 1 example Factor Weight Price of the eligible products and services 30% Prior experience 25% Personnel qualifications 20% Management capability 15% Environmental objectives 10% Total 100%

  16. Evaluation 2 example Factor Weight Price of the eligible products and services 50% Prior experience 20% Personnel qualifications 15% Management capability 10% Environmental objectives 5% Total 100%

  17. After choosing your service provider and submitting your Form 471 • While completing your Form 471 and deciding on invoicing method, Bear or SPI • Applicants must be able to demonstrate that they had a contract or other legally binding agreement in place at the time they certified an FCC Form 471. • Your certified FCC Form 471 is due on or before the close of the application filing window.

  18. Form 486 This form states that your service has started and report CIPA status. To receive E-Rate you must be CIPA compliant. CHILDREN’S INTERNET PROTECTION ACT (CIPA) A law that mandates certain internet safety policy and filtering requirements for recipients of E-rate Program discounts for services other than telecommunications services.

  19. CIPA • CIPA uses the federal criminal definitions for obscenity and child pornography. The term "harmful to minors" is defined as "any picture, image, graphic image file, or other visual depiction that – (i) taken as a whole and with respect to minors, appeals to a prurient interest in nudity, sex, or excretion; (ii) depicts, describes, or represents, in a patently offensive way with respect to what is suitable for minors, an actual or simulated sexual act or sexual contact, actual or simulated normal or perverted sexual acts, or a lewd exhibition of the genitals; and (iii) taken as a whole, lacks serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value as to minors."

  20. CIPA • Public Notice and Hearing or Meeting • The authority with responsibility for administration of the school or library must provide reasonable public notice and hold at least one public hearing or meeting to address a proposed technology protection measure and Internet safety policy. For private schools, public notice means notice to their appropriate constituent group. • Additional meetings are not necessary – even if the policy is amended – unless those meetings are required by state or local rules or the policy itself.

  21. Reimbursments Method 1 If requesting reimbursement from USAC for services paid in full, submit FCC Form 472 (BEAR) Submit FCC Form 498 to receive an applicant 498 ID for direct BEAR payments Method 2 This is if you get reduced bills from your service provider, and they will be receiving the payments from USAC. If requesting reimbursement from USAC for approved discounts provided on services, submit FCC Form 474 (SPI)

  22. Saving Documents • All documents pertaining to E-Rate must be kept 10 years past the end of the contract. This can be done by paper or digitally.

  23. Extra notes • Remember to check dates to make sure you do not miss something. We have no way of giving you a little more time. • Check your EPC account to see if they need any additional documents. • PIA review: These are done on a regular basis sometimes they are needing a letter from APLS to state you are eligible for E-Rate. If you get that notice call or e-mail me and I will get your letter and fax a copy so you can attach to your EPC account and I will send you the original if you need it for your records. • If it asks for your consultant name I am not your E-Rate consultant. This is if you are paying someone to file your forms for you. 

  24. Extra notes • If a service provider tells you they will fill out your forms, just say NO! • These must be filled out by you or a paid consultant. It is illegal to allow them to complete the forms because they could write it just to meet their needs • You can’t take gifts, money, or extra services to choose a particular service provider – Yes it would be a legal problem, and they could fine you

  25. Thank You! If you have any questions please feel free to contact me via e-mail or phone. Alisa McLeod Alabama Public Library Service amcleod@apls.state.al.us 1.334.213.3904

More Related