A Schools and Libraries Division spokesman confirmed Oct. 2 that the SLD will hold off making further Year 4 funding commitments until after the initial Oct. 28 deadline for making certifications in connection with the new Children's Internet Protection Act.
Under the law, E-rate applicants who receive support for Internet access or internal connections must comply with CIPA, beginning in Year 4. Applicants who have already received a funding commitment for those kinds of services and have begun using them must submit a Form 486 application that is postmarked on or before Oct. 28, 2001.
The SLD said it wanted to provide applicants with enough time to complete that paperwork if they had to comply with that deadline. Applicants that have not yet received a pertinent funding commitment, or have not yet begun using their services will be required to file a Form 486 within 120 days of the date of their funding commitment letter or their service start date, whichever date is later.
So far, the SLD has issued commitments totaling about two-thirds of the amount it is authorized to disburse. Applicants with discount rates between 89 and 85 percent are still awaiting word on the ultimate disposition of their internal connections requests.
