Important Changes and Reminders for Fund Year 2016 E-rate Program Applicant Training November 2015

NSLP Data for Fund Year 2016 Applications – Districts now input data for all related applications (libraries/consortia) through EPC – USAC will use October 31, 2014 data for verification Direct BEAR Payments to Applicants – New online-only Form 472 (BEAR) – Completing Form 498 for direct payments Invoice Deadlines (and Extensions) – New rules require FCC Waiver if deadline is missed Changes and Reminders for Fund Year 2016 Agenda

NSLP Data for Fund Year 2016

USAC has decided that there will be only one set of NSLP and enrollment data for each Billed Entity – Previously, the same school might have different numbers submitted on district, library, and consortia applications The official data will be entered through the district’s EPC portal ONLY USAC will still compare what is entered in EPC to the ‘valid file’ that they have on hand USAC will use the October, 2014 valid file for validation Districts will input data into EPC NSLP Data for Washington State

Library and Consortia applications will be automatically populated with the data entered into your district’s EPC portal The sooner that information is entered/verified by the districts, the greater the chances that these applications will be timely processed Your EPC portal should contain the information from your fund year 2015 application Libraries and Consortia are dependent on your data! NSLP Data for Washington State

Verify that the information contained in the portal matches the valid file from October, 2014 If it does not, make sure that you have documentation to support the changes If you would like for OSPI to manage the NSLP portion of your district profile, we will! – Just grant partial rights to the state coordinator and she can input/verify the data for you Send and to if you’d like OSPI to manage this, or if you are using alternative What you should do: NSLP Data for Washington State

Direct BEAR Payments to Applicants

Online Only - via EPC Portal Paper BEAR will be discontinued July 1, 2016 Certifications to change No longer require service provider certification May require some information during invoice review Applicants paid directly via electronic transfer FCC Form 472 – Changes – beginning July 1, 2016 Upcoming BEAR Process

Applicant logs into EPC portal to access invoice Applicant fills in: SPIN, FCC Form 471 number, FRN, Dates, Amounts Applicant reviews and certifies information Applicant submits BEAR – only online – No service provider Certification Required FCC Form 472 – Changes – beginning July 1, 2016 Upcoming BEAR Process

Payments scheduled twice a week when invoice approved – no longer two week delay for service provider notification BEAR payments only via electronic transfer to applicant Billed Entities will be paid directly to bank account Bank account information will be required All information needed to set up for direct payments provided via revised FCC Form 498 Direct Payment – beginning July 1, 2016 Direct BEAR Payments to Applicants

Company Officer – A person who occupies a position authorized by the school, district or county, and consortium applicants (would typically be a Superintendent, Assistant Superintendent, Principal or Assistant Principal, County or District Administrator) [CANNOT BE A CONSULTANT] – Authorized to certify that the data set forth in the FCC Form 498 is true, accurate, and complete General Contact – This individual will be able to retrieve the FCC Form 498 information on file with USAC as well as be given access to USAC’s on-line filing system – This person will also be able to input new FCC Form 498 ID data for Company Officer certification Contact Information Section FCC Form 498 Information

Federal Employer Identification Number (EIN/TaxID) Dun and Bradstreet “Data Universal Numbering System” number (DUNS or D-U-N-S) – DUNS, is a proprietary system developed and regulated by Dun & Bradstreet (D&B) that assigns a unique numeric identifier, referred to as a "DUNS number" to a single business entity – DUNS Number assignment is FREE for all businesses required to register with the US Federal government for contracts or grants FCC Registration Number (FRN) or (CORES ID) Applicant Identification Section FCC Form 498 Information

Before applying, check to see if your organization already has a DUNS number (most applicants will already have one) You can search for your organization, by name, through D&B’s online D-U-N-S database: or call (866) to speak to a representativehttps://iupdate.dnb.com/iUpdate/companylookup.html If your organization does not have one, you can apply online through Dun & Bradstreet’s website: (This is neither an FCC nor a USAC website) You will need the following in order to receive a new DUNS number: – Name and Address of organization – Name of the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) or organization owner – Legal structure of the organization (e.g., corporation, partnership, proprietorship) – Year the organization started – Primary type of business – Total number of employees (full and part-time) Dun and Bradstreet Numbers (DUNS) FCC Form 498 Information

Note – this is a number that you also enter on each FCC Form 471 that you file It is associated with your Billed Entity and does not change It should not be confused with the “Funding Request Numbers” (FRNs) that applicants fill out on their FCC Form 471 applications, which change every year FCC Registration Numbers FCC Form 498 Information

Name of Financial Institution Financial Institution Account Number – Checking account number ACH Financial Institution Transit Number ( 9 digits) – Routing Number Billed Entities – Enter as many as are reimbursed thru this bank account number Bank Information Section FCC Form 498 Information

Invoicing USAC: Deadlines & Extensions

Invoices must be submitted to USAC no later than: – 120 days after the last day to receive service, OR – 120 days after the date of the FCC Form 486 Notification Letter, whichever is later – (a) Invoices must be certified by BOTH Applicant and Service Provider in order to meet deadline For most recurring services, the deadline is October 28 following the end of the funding year – Example: for services from July 1, 2015 – June 30, 2016, the deadline for most FRNs is likely October 28, 2016 (assuming no delay in receipt of FCDL, submission of 486, one-time installations, or other outstanding issue) Invoicing Deadline

Extensions can be requested – Applicants or Service Providers may request a one- time extension of the invoicing deadline from USAC – USAC shall grant a 120 day extension of the invoice filing deadline, if it is timely requested – (b) – No reason must be given, but request MUST be submitted prior to the original invoicing deadline Invoice Deadline Extensions

If an invoice deadline extension request is not timely filed, or if your one-time extension has expired, you must file a waiver request with the FCC Only the FCC can grant a waiver of the current rules regarding invoicing deadlines: – 120 days after the last day to receive service, OR – 120 days after the date of the FCC Form 486 Notification Letter, whichever is later – (a) The FCC must grant your waiver request before USAC can extend the invoice deadline. The FCC has indicated that they will not likely grant extensions without compelling/extenuating circumstances Invoice Deadline Extensions (FCC Waivers)

Contacts With questions, please contact us! SLD Phone: (888) SLD Website: WA Website: Washington state contacts: Susan Tenkhoff, (971) Dennis Small, (360) Presentation posted at