Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria caused widespread and catastrophic damage, destroying and damaging several schools and libraries in Gulf Coast, Eastern Seaboard, and Caribbean. In an effort to assist E-rate applicants impacted by the storms, the FCC released a series of Orders extending deadlines and setting dates for a second Funding Year 2017 application window. Some of the relief outlined in the Orders include:
- Waiving certain E-rate deadlines for applicants in affected disaster areas were granted an additional 150 days from the date of the First Hurricane Order (October 6, 2017). Some extended deadlines include: Forms 472, 474, and 486, service delivery, and requests for review or waiver
- Creating a second Funding Year 2017 application window for applicants located in hurricane impacted areas. The new window will be open November 13 through December 13
- Waiving the typical 28-day requirement for the Form 470 during the second application window. Applicants will have a 14-day bidding requirement
- Allowing indirectly impacted schools that has had a 5 percent or more increase in enrollment because of displaced students may submit of a supplementary Funding Year 2017 Form 471 during the second application window to cover increased costs from increased student populations
- Resetting any prior Category 2 budget expenditures for applicants in the affected areas
- Granting applicants in the impacted areas the highest C2 discount, regardless of their actual E-rate discount i.e. 90 percent for Category 1 and 85 percent for Category 2.
A full summary of the Orders can be found here.
More Hurricane related news and commentary:
Hurricanes Impact Millions of Students – November 3, 2017
Second FY2017 Application Window – October 30, 2017
FCC Planning Another Hurricane Relief – October 26, 2017
Further Hurricane Regulatory Relief – October 11, 2017
Relief to Hurricane Affected Applicants – September 15, 2017
Help for Harvey Impacted Schools – August 31, 2017
