If you submitted an FCC Form 470 on the same day we wrote about it here on the blog (March 3), your form has been posted for more than the required 28 day minimum, and you can begin evaluating the bids you received and select a service provider.
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Prepping for FCC Form 471
Now that your 28-day competitive bidding period is coming to a close, let’s look at some of the things you should do to prepare for filing FCC Form 471.
The next couple of posts will go through the information we suggest you review and/or collect before you start the FCC Form 471 filing, which, if you’re following along with the blog schedule, is next week.
Category Two budget yearly re-calculation, plus changing student counts
Even though Category Two budgets span over five years, your budget is re-calculated every year based on the number of students (for schools) or square footage (for libraries) you have. This especially affects schools with changing student populations.
Category Two Budgets
Now that you understand how to calculate your E-rate Program discount levels, we’ll move on to a topic that always generates a lot of questions – Category Two budgets.
Category Two services include internal connections, managed internal broadband services, and basic maintenance of internal connections. E-rate funding for Category Two services is provided for a five-year period, starting with the first year after FY2014 that you receive funding for any Category Two services.
Calculating E-rate Discounts for Consortia and State-wide Applications
A consortium is a group of entities that apply together, usually to aggregate demand in order to lower prices. A statewide application is when a state’s purchasing department (or other state agency) applies on behalf of all schools and libraries in the state.
Calculate a consortium’s discount
To calculate the discount for a consortium or statewide application:
Calculating Library E-rate Discounts
The E-rate Program discount for libraries is based on the poverty level in the school district it (or its main branch) is located in, and its urban/rural status.
The E-rate Productivity Center (EPC) will calculate the discount as part of your form. But to see it in advance, you need to calculate the discount yourself. Today we’ll cover how to calculate E-rate discounts for libraries and library systems.
