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<DIV dir=ltr align=left><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN
class=609455214-01112008>This SLD News brief has guidance about the relationship
between a technology plan and the Form 470.</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN
class=609455214-01112008></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT face=Arial size=2>Janet McKenney</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT face=Arial size=2>Maine State Library</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT face=Arial size=2>Coordinator of Learning and Technology
Services</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT face=Arial size=2>64 State House Station</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT face=Arial size=2>Augusta, ME
04333-0064</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT face=Arial size=2>207-287-5620</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT face=Arial size=2><A
href="mailto:janet.mckenney@maine.gov">janet.mckenney@maine.gov</A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV><BR>
<DIV class=OutlookMessageHeader lang=en-us dir=ltr align=left>
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<FONT face=Tahoma size=2><B>From:</B> SL News Brief
[mailto:SLNewsBrief@lists.universalservice.org] <BR><B>Sent:</B> Friday, October
31, 2008 12:47 PM<BR><B>To:</B> McKenney, Janet<BR><B>Subject:</B> USAC’s
Schools and Libraries News Brief for this week<BR></FONT><BR></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>
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Brief </SPAN>
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<P><STRONG>October 31</STRONG><STRONG>, 2008 </STRONG></P></DIV><BR>
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<P style="FONT: 11px/15px Verdana; COLOR: #e2691f"><STRONG>TIP OF THE
WEEK: <FONT color=#333333>If you are preparing to file a Form 470 for
Funding Year 2009 (FY2009), be sure that you have a written technology
plan that covers FY2009. </FONT></STRONG><FONT color=#333333>This can
be an approved technology plan written in an earlier funding year
that covers FY2009 or a new technology plan that you are working on
now.</FONT></P></DIV>
<P style="COLOR: #e2691f"><STRONG>Commitments for Funding Years 2008
and 2007 </STRONG></P>
<P style="FONT: 11px/15px Verdana; COLOR: #333333"><STRONG>Funding Year
2008. </STRONG>USAC will release two FY2008 waves of Funding Commitment
Decision Letters (FCDLs) next week. Wave 29 on November 5 will include
commitments for approved Internal Connections and Basic Maintenance
requests at 90% and denials at 79% and below. Wave 30 on November 6
will include commitments for approved Internal Connections and Basic
Maintenance requests at 90% and denials at 80% and below. As of October
31, FY2008 commitments total over $1.52 billion. </P>
<P style="FONT: 11px/15px Verdana; COLOR: #333333"><STRONG>Funding Year
2007.</STRONG> USAC will release FY2007
Wave 70 FCDLs November 5. This wave will include
commitments for approved Internal Connections and Basic Maintenance
requests at 81% and above and denials at 80% and below. As of
October 31, FY2007 commitments total just under $2.5
billion.</P>
<P>On the day the FCDLs are mailed, you can check to see if you have a
commitment by using USAC’s <A
href="http://www.usac.org/sl/tools/search-tools/search-commitments/?WT.mc_id=sl-newsbrief-20081031">Automated
Search of Commitments</A> tool.</P>
<P style="FONT: 11px/15px Verdana; COLOR: #e2691f"><STRONG>Technology
Planning and Form 470</STRONG></P>
<P style="FONT: 11px/15px Verdana; COLOR: #333333">We discussed the first
two steps in the application process, writing a technology plan and
filing a Form 470, in the <A
href="http://www.usac.org/sl/tools/news-briefs/preview.aspx?id=189&WT.mc_id=sl-newsbrief-20081031">September
26, 2008 SL News Brief</A> and the <A
href="http://www.usac.org/sl/tools/news-briefs/preview.aspx?id=192&WT.mc_id=sl-newsbrief-20081031">October
17, 2008 SL News Brief</A>, respectively. However, it is also important to
keep in mind the relationship between these two steps. Below are several
questions that you should consider as you write (create) your
technology plan and prepare to file a Form 470.</P>
<P style="FONT: 11px/15px Verdana; COLOR: #333333"><STRONG>What is the
relationship between the technology plan and the Form 470?</STRONG></P>
<P style="FONT: 11px/15px Verdana; COLOR: #333333">Your technology plan,
if properly done, forms the basis for the acquisition and use of the
services featured on your Form 470. By describing your current and
future needs, your goals and strategies for using technology, and a
budget that includes both your non-discount share and
the resources you need to effectively use discounted services,
you can prepare reasonable funding requests and evaluate and
monitor your progress toward reaching your technology goals.</P>
<P style="FONT: 11px/15px Verdana; COLOR: #333333">The services you
request on your Form 470 should follow from your goals and strategies
and your current and future needs as described in your technology plan.
This helps to ensure that the products and services for which E-rate
provides discounts will be put to good and effective use.</P>
<P style="FONT: 11px/15px Verdana; COLOR: #333333"><STRONG>How do I avoid
an overly broad Form 470?</STRONG></P>
<P style="FONT: 11px/15px Verdana; COLOR: #333333">An overly
broad or “encyclopedic” Form 470, instead of being tailored to
your technology plan, covers a wide and unconnected range of services
that may be eligible for discounts but that do not truly advance or
support the specific goals and strategies articulated in that technology
plan.</P>
<P style="FONT: 11px/15px Verdana; COLOR: #333333">To avoid this pitfall,
prepare a Form 470 with a level of detail appropriate to the size and
complexity of your technology plan that features services that you
actually plan to use. Your entries in the “Service or Function” and
“Quantity and/or Capacity” fields in Items 8, 9, 10, and 11 of the Form
470 should be consistent with both the overall goals and the specific
details included in your plan.</P>
<P style="FONT: 11px/15px Verdana; COLOR: #333333"><STRONG>How long
and how detailed should my technology plan and Form 470 be?</STRONG></P>
<P style="FONT: 11px/15px Verdana; COLOR: #333333">There is not a minimum
or maximum requirement for the length or complexity of a technology plan.
We suggest that you keep the following general guidelines in mind:</P>
<UL>
<LI>
<DIV>A small entity will probably have a smaller, less complex
technology plan than a large entity. The technology plan for a one-room
elementary school with dial-up Internet access will be smaller and
simpler than the technology plan for a school district with 20 school
buildings that have broadband Internet access and are
connected by a wide area network.</DIV>
<LI>
<DIV style="FONT: 11px/15px Verdana; COLOR: #333333">An entity with
limited technology needs will probably have a smaller, simpler
technology plan than an entity with more complex needs. For
example, consider two single-site libraries of approximately the
same size. One is planning to build an addition in two years with
greatly expanded telephone and Internet services, while the other has
limited telephone and Internet access in place and is expecting to
maintain the status quo for the next three years. The technology plan of
the second entity will likely be smaller and/or simpler than that of the
first entity.</DIV>
<LI>
<DIV style="FONT: 11px/15px Verdana; COLOR: #333333">Your current
situation may affect the detail and the degree of complexity in your
technology plan and your Form 470. For example, a school with no
infrastructure in place to support Internet access could explore a
variety of technological solutions to supply Internet access, while a
school planning a buildout of an existing infrastructure might have more
limited options because any new equipment would have to be compatible
with existing equipment.</DIV>
<LI>
<DIV style="FONT: 11px/15px Verdana; COLOR: #333333">Technology Plan
Approvers (TPAs) can set requirements of their own for the technology
plans that they approve. They may ask for a level of detail beyond that
required by the E-rate program.</DIV></LI></UL>
<P style="FONT: 11px/15px Verdana; COLOR: #333333">You should also make
sure your technology plan is not overly narrow. For example, you may have
written your technology plan to allow for only wired Internet access. If
appropriate, you might broaden your plan so that you could also consider
wireless Internet services as an option. If both options could work for
you, your Form 470 should encourage bids on both.</P>
<P style="FONT: 11px/15px Verdana; COLOR: #333333"><STRONG>What effect
should my needs assessment have on my Form 470?</STRONG></P>
<P style="FONT: 11px/15px Verdana; COLOR: #333333">The needs assessment
element of your technology plan should address more than just the number
of computers or other hardware you intend to acquire in order to make use
of discounted services. For example:</P>
<UL>
<LI>
<DIV>An old building with limited electrical capacity may not be able to
support your requests for services unless you first make substantial
modifications to its electrical system. If this is the case,
upgrading your infrastructure may precede your request for all
of the services you have included in your technology plan and your Form
470 should take this into account.</DIV>
<LI>
<DIV style="FONT: 11px/15px Verdana; COLOR: #333333">Your infrastructure
may support your request but your staff may lack the necessary training
to take full advantage of the discounted services. Again, you may have
to plan your Form 470 requests in stages to make sure all necessary
training has occurred in time to make effective use of the
services.</DIV></LI></UL>
<P style="FONT: 11px/15px Verdana; COLOR: #333333">Keep in mind that by
the time you file your Form 471, you must be prepared to certify that you
have acquired the necessary resources to implement your technology.
That is why it is especially important that you make an accurate and
complete needs assessment and begin taking the appropriate steps to secure
resources in a timely manner.</P>
<P
style="FONT: 11px/15px Verdana; COLOR: #333333"><STRONG>How specific
should I be about the scope of my project?</STRONG></P>
<P style="FONT: 11px/15px Verdana; COLOR: #333333">When completing your
Form 470, you should give service providers an accurate understanding of
the scope of your project. For example, if your library system
has nine branches and your plan is for all of them to receive
Internal Connections in FY2009, make that fact clear in your Form 470.</P>
<P style="FONT: 11px/15px Verdana; COLOR: #333333">That does not mean,
however, that you have to be overly specific in the “Quantity or Capacity”
field on the Form 470. For example, if your school district is comprised
of three elementary schools and one junior/senior high school and the
local student population has not changed much in the last several years,
you can enter “For my entire school district” in this field. Service
providers who are not familiar with your area could easily get a clear
idea of the scope of your project. However, if your school district is
either growing or shrinking rapidly, you should make that clear as
well.</P>
<P style="FONT: 11px/15px Verdana; COLOR: #333333">The Quantity or
Capacity field in Items 8, 9, 10, and/or 11 on the Form 470 could
therefore be short or very detailed, depending on the information you want
to convey to give potential bidders a clear idea of your project’s
scope.</P>
<P style="FONT: 11px/15px Verdana; COLOR: #333333"><STRONG>What
effects could minor or major changes to my technology plan have on my
Form 470?</STRONG></P>
<P style="FONT: 11px/15px Verdana; COLOR: #333333">Some technology plans
are revised or updated before they expire. Although technology plans are
usually approved for three years, situations can change. For example, you
may accomplish all of the goals and strategies included in your plan in
the first two years of the plan. Alternatively, a reduction in funding may
have prevented you from accomplishing your goals according to your
original schedule.</P>
<UL>
<LI>
<DIV>Minor revisions or updates are those that remain within the scope
of the original version of the technology plan and any related
Forms 470. USAC does not require such revisions or updates to be
re-approved, but you should check with your TPA for any processing
requirements.</DIV>
<LI>
<DIV style="FONT: 11px/15px Verdana; COLOR: #333333">Major revisions or
updates are those outside of the scope of the original version of the
technology plan and/or the Form 470. A major revision would require the
issuance of a new Form 470 because the provision of the new or expanded
services is significant enough to require a new competitive bidding
process. If you make a major revision or update to your technology plan,
you can have the revised technology plan approved for the
period of time remaining on your original technology plan or you can ask
for it to be approved for up to three years as a new technology plan.
Again, if you are in this situation, talk to your TPA.</DIV></LI></UL>
<P><FONT color=#333333>As you get ready to file your Form 470, you should
review any revisions or updates that you have made to your technology
plan and consider any other changes that may be necessary. If you have
revised or updated your technology plan, don’t just copy the Form 470 you
filed last year. Think first if those revisions or updates will affect the
Form 470 you file for the upcoming funding year.</FONT></P>
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