With just a little more than a day remaining until the close of the FY 2009 Form 471 Filing Window, stress levels of E-rate applicants seem to be on the rise–for those that haven't yet completed their applications, at least. Stress can also be seen on the SLD's website. We have received a few reports that the SLD's site is having some intermittent issues today–and our own use of the site confirms this. We expect this to continue until the window closes.
The SLD's website will be under heavy traffic in these final hours leading up to the close of the filing window. This means that some pages may not load or that the entire site could be temporarily unavailable if it becomes overloaded with applicants filing funding requests. The first key to working with the SLD's website in the final hours of the filing window is to be patient. The second key is to have a Plan B to enter your application during 'off peak' hours. You can expect the heaviest traffic time for the SLD's site to be during business hours and then during the final few hours before the close of the window. Working at times other than these might provide for a better experience in submitting your application.
