ALAWON: American Library Association Washington Office Newsline
Volume 14, Number 13
February 17, 2005

In This Issue: E-RATE FILING ISSUE ON FORM 471 

It has come to the attention of the ALA E-rate Task Force that there are discrepancies between the official FCC Form 471, Block 4, the corresponding instructions, and the online version of the Form.  As you may know, Form 471 Worksheet B for libraries was eliminated from the paper version of the Form 471.  However, references to Worksheet B (the discount calculation) and the methodology for completing Worksheet B still appear in the online version of the Form.  The online system does not allow library applicants to complete the discount calculations as set out in the instructions.  Because of these issues, we are concerned that some libraries may not have entered their correct discount.

The E-rate Task Force has been in communication with the Schools and Libraries Division (SLD) on these issues.  The SLD provided the following information at 5pm EST yesterday, February 16. (Note: The SLD has indicated that it will not post this information on its website.) 

1)  Libraries who have not yet filed their 471 should calculate their discount as they did in previous years -- by doing the calculations offline and entering the final discount matrix calculation in the online form. Libraries should save the worksheets and other information they use to calculate their discounts in case the SLD has any questions about their
calculations.

2)  Libraries who have already filed their 471 should review their discount entry for accuracy.  If the discount they entered is incorrect, they should file a new Form 471 and the corresponding Block 6 certification, and insert the correct discount in the appropriate field.  They can then cancel the 471 featuring the incorrect discount either by calling CSB or by using the RAL
correction process.  A key point to note is that no library application will be denied solely because of this problem.

Finally, the ALA E-rate Task Force reminds both libraries and schools that the 471 filing deadline is Friday, February 18, 11:59pm EST.  Last minute filing reminders from the SLD are at
http://www.sl.universalservice.org/data/pdf/FY2005_Field_Letter.pdf 



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