The SLD announced that a targeted E-rate application window tied to districts affected by the recent hurricanes opened on Monday, November 13 and will close on December 13, 2017. The guidance states that Directly Impacted Applicants may file a Form 471 without filing a new Form 470 if these three conditions are met:
- The applicant already sought bids for the services or equipment by posting an FCC Form 470.
- The applicant received a Funding Commitment Decision Letter (FCDL) approving an FY2017 request that relied on that FCC Form 470, or have such an FY2017 funding request pending.
- The applicant requested additional E-rate funding to purchase the same services or equipment on substantially similar terms and conditions as the contract originated by that FCC Form 470. This option applies specifically to services and equipment delivered prior to the Hurricanes and subsequently disrupted, destroyed, or damaged by the Hurricanes.
For those applicants that are required to post another Form 470, they only need to wait 14 days before selected a service provider and entering into an agreement with a service provider. The last date for an applicant to file a Form 470 for this special window is November 29 and the applicant should add the prefix H2017 to the Form 470. Based on a Funds For Learning analysis, 16 applicants have posted a new Form 470 for the Hurricane relief. To date, there are seven applicants from Puerto Rica, five applicants from Texas, three from Florida and one applicant from the Virgin Islands have posted a new form 470 for these purposes.
The SLD conducted a special webinar on the requirements for applicants and service providers tied to the Hurricane Relief Order. The recorded webcast can be viewed here.
