The FCC has granted 13 appeals where USAC found that consortia leaders did not follow proper SLD guidance regarding letters of agency, or LOAs. The FCC found that in each instance the petitioner did provide evidence of authority to apply for E-rate discounts on behalf of the consortium members and are remanding the applications back to the SLD for further processing.
There were LOAs dated after the certification date, some consortium members did not have all LOAs from consortia member and the other denials were because the LOAs did not specify the specific year the applications were filed. The FCC emphasized that consortium leaders still must follow all relevant FCC rules and SLD guidance regarding LOAs, however, are recommending that USAC reach out to consortia when these types of "ministerial errors" are found. According to a Funds For Learning analysis, since FY 2005 close to $15 million has been denied to consortia applications because failure to follow SLD LOA guidelines.
The FCC LOA Order can be viewed here .
