On April 26, 2016, USAC Schools and Libraries Committee held their quarterly board meeting. Mr. Blackwell briefed the Board on the status of the FY 2016 Form 471 Filing Window and while the window has been extended, the SLD’s goal is to release the first funding wave approximately two weeks after the filing window closes and that the FY 2016 commitments will not be delayed in any significant manner. The SLD has new built in procedures and IT processes in place in order to check many of the smaller Form 471 applications.
The Board also discussed the following issues:
- Approved the Schools and Libraries Committee Meeting Minutes of January 26, 2016, March 24, 2016, and April 13, 2016;
- Approved the Schools and Libraries Support Mechanism 3rd Quarter Programmatic Budget and Demand Project for May 2, 2016 FCC Filing;
- Approved two USAC Internal Audit Division Schools and Libraries Support Mechanism Beneficiary Audit Reports
- Total Audited: $9.3 Million
- 9 Findings
- Seeking a total of $225,000 in recovery which is 2.4% of the support for these two appellants
- The Board briefly discussed EPC issues and stated their goal for FY 2017 is some further enhancements and longer term to change the interface and have a website redesign in order to help the user experience;
- The Board discussed that nearly 82% of appeals are processed within 90 days
- The SLD currently has 108 appeals that are over 90 days old
- Of the appeals that are over 90 days old, the target is to complete 25 of them by April 29, 2016
- 62 are in heightened scrutiny and are on hold
- 21 are waiting FCC guidance
Note: The information above are not the official minutes from the meeting, but simply notes from Funds For Learning. The official minutes for this meeting, as well as minutes from previous meetings, can be found here.
