The Schools and Libraries Committee of the Universal Service Administrative Company July 12 authorized the Schools and Libraries Division to begin approving E-rate funding commitments for the 2004 funding year for applicants eligible for a 90 percent discount rate.
Assuming that the Federal Communications Commission does not object, the SLD intends to mail out a wave of funding commitment letters next week that will include the first commitments for 2004 for internal connections.
The decision reflects a projection by the SLD that, based on its experience reviewing applications so far, it expects that it will have enough funding to cover all eligible internal connections requests from applicants at the 90 percent discount rate. In the past, the SLD moved relatively quickly to set a threshold below which it knew it could not support applications. However, because the SLD is now permitted to roll over undisbursed funding approved in previous years, the SLD may try to keep its options open awhile longer in regard to rejecting applications below a certain threshold.
