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Item (14a) - Provide the number of dial up connections to the Internet that you have or seek. This would include the number of "subscriptions" that you have or seek that allow simultaneous connections to the Internet by dialing a particular telephone number of an Internet service provider.
Item (14b) - Indicate the highest speed of such dial up connection to the Internet that you have or seek.
Item (14c) - Provide the number of direct connections to the Internet that you have or seek. Direct connections to the Internet are dedicated links that go directly to an Internet service provider and are not available for ordinary voice phone calls.
Item (14d) - Indicate the highest speed of such direct connections to the Internet that you have or seek.
Item (15) permits you to provide additional information describing the services you are requesting for the current funding year. This may include technical information or simply an informal description of the your telecommunications-related goals. You may describe details about services you expect to seek in the future in Item (17).
Item (16) asks the applicant to indicate whether it is subject to any state or local restrictions regarding how and when it may be contacted by potential providers. For example, state bidding requirements might prohibit contacts between bidders and buyers between the time an official RFP is issued and when bids are due, or they may allow only written contacts. Applicants must comply with any applicable state or local requirements when participating in the competitive bidding process used in the universal service discount mechanism. If the applicant is subject to any state or local restrictions, it must check the box in Item (16) and provide a description of the restrictions or procedures. It may do so by attaching those restrictions. Alternatively, applicants may reference a website where state or local restrictions can be found and a contact person who can provide the information to service providers without Internet access.
Item (17) - You may provide information on your plans to purchase additional services in future years. This information may encourage service providers to contact you even when you may not represent an especially financially attractive customer in the near term, if you will represent a financially attractive customer over a longer period of time. Providing this information is optional.
D. Block 4: Technology Assessment
Block 4 of FCC Form 470 asks you to provide an assessment of the technologies that you will need to use the services you request by checking off the appropriate boxes, unless you are only seeking support for basic voice telephone service. In that case, you should check the box indicated and skip the remainder of Item (18). If you are seeking support for any services in addition to basic voice telephone service, however, you must check off at least one box for each of the Items (18a-18e). You may check off both boxes in each case.
Items (18a-18e) - All of the services and facilities listed in Items (18a-18e) are ineligible for support under the universal service discount mechanism. Each of the services and facilities listed, however, is necessary to make effective use of the telecommunications services, Internet access, and internal connections that are eligible for discounts. You do not need to certify that you have already secured all of the technologies needed to use your discounted services effectively until you file FCC Form 471, but Items (18a-18e) require you to assess the technologies that you have or will need. FCC Form 471, which you will also need to file to receive discounts, requires you to certify that you have secured or budgeted to secure adequate amounts of those resources to utilize effectively the services requested.
If you are still seeking the technologies indicated in Items (18a-18e), you may also provide additional details in the space at the bottom of Block 4 to help providers of desired technologies contact you with bids. If you are purchasing such ineligible services and facilities, however, you should try to do so through contracts separate and apart from those used to purchase services eligible for universal service discounts.
Item (18a) - Indicate whether you have secured or are in the process of securing access to the necessary software for the computers that will use eligible services. For example, computers that will be connected to the Internet will probably need "web browsers." You should note that, although the software for the computers used in classrooms and other endpoints is not eligible for support, use of the software necessary to operate the networks used to transport information to the classroom is an eligible service.
Item (18b) - Confirm that you have or are securing access to sufficient electrical capacity to handle the computers and other telecommunications-related facilities used as part of this mechanism.
Item (18c) - Confirm that you have purchased or are arranging to purchase sufficient numbers of computers to use the discounted services effectively. Applicants should note that, as with computer software, while the computers used in classrooms are not eligible for discounts, those used for network servers would, generally, be eligible for support.
Item (18d) - Confirm that you have secured or are attempting to secure appropriate maintenance for your computer hardware.
Item (18e) - Confirm that you have arranged for or are arranging to secure the staff development necessary to use the discounted services effectively.
E. Block 5: Listing Consortium Participants
Block 5 requires applicants to list the billed entities that will receive services described in Block 3.
Item (19) - If you are an individual school or library, you need only fill out a single row of Item (19). If you are a consortium of multiple billed entities, you should list each billed entity separately. An entity is considered a "billed entity" if: it will receive a separate bill directly for services it receives; or it will be responsible for reimbursing a billed entity for the portion of services that it receives. Thus, individual schools in a school district or library branches in a library system would not be billed entities if the school district or library system pays the bills for eligible services without seeking reimbursement from the schools and library branches, respectively. On the other hand, if a state files FCC Form 470 on behalf of its school districts and each of the school districts will be charged for the services it receives, each of the school districts would be considered a billed entity. Similarly, if a school district files FCC Form 470 and individual schools in the district will be billed separately for the services then the individual schools are billed entities.
Item (19, column 1) - For each billed entity, provide the billed entity's name in column one.
Item (19, column 2) - For each billed entity, provide the billed entity's zip code.
Item (19, column 3) - The administrator will insert a billed entity code in this column, so you can leave this column blank.
Item (19, column 4) - You should list all of the zip codes of recipients of service that are represented by the billed entity. For example, a school district or library system should supply all of the different zip codes in which its schools or library branches are located.
Item (20) - Provide information about members of the consortium that are not eligible to receive universal service discounts. Only eligible schools and libraries may receive discounted services, so if the consortium includes entities such as health care providers, governmental entities, or private sector entities, you must list these entities in Item (20). For each ineligible entity, provide the zip codes where it seeks service, a contact person, and either a phone number, e-mail address, or alternative method for contacting it.
F. Block 6: Certifications and Signature
Block 6 requires you to certify certain information to ensure that only eligible entities receive support under the universal service discount mechanism.
Item (21) - Certify that you are an eligible school or library. If your application is on behalf of one or more schools and all of the information in Item (21a) is true of those schools seeking to receive discounted services, you should check the box in Item (21a). If your application is on behalf of one or more schools and any of the information in Item (21a) is not true for the schools seeking to receive discounted services, those schools are not eligible to receive support under the universal service discount mechanism, and you should not check this box.
If your application is on behalf of one or more libraries or library consortia and all of the information in Item (21b) is true of the libraries seeking to receive discounted services, you should check the box in Item (21b). If your application is on behalf of one or more libraries or library consortia and any of the information is not true for the libraries or library consortia seeking to receive discounted services, those libraries or library consortia are not eligible to receive support under the universal service discount mechanism, and you should not check this box.
Items (22 and 23) concern the technology plans that must be prepared before schools and libraries may apply for discounted services under the universal service support mechanism. The only schools and libraries that do not have to comply with the technology plan requirement are those entities requesting support for voice services (i.e., telephone service) only. Note also that consortia and billed entities do not have to be covered by technology plans as long as all of the schools and libraries seeking discounts that they represent are covered by technology plans.
Item (22) - If all of the schools, libraries, and library consortia listed in Item (19) are covered by individual or multi-entity technology plans for the services requested in your application, you should check the box in Item (22). Technology plans that have been approved for other purposes, e.g., for participation in federal or state programs such as "Goals 2000" and the Technology Literacy Challenge, will be accepted without need for further independent approval.
Item (23) - Indicate either that the technology plan(s) that covers you has been approved (Item (23a)) or that you are currently seeking approval of your technology plan(s). If you are seeking approval from a state or other authorized body, you should check the box in Item (23b). If, instead, you will be submitting your technology plan(s) to the Schools and Libraries Corporation for approval, you should check the box in Item (23c).
Item (24) - Certify that services you order pursuant to the universal service discount mechanism must and will be used for educational purposes only and that the services will not be sold, resold, or transferred in consideration for money or any other thing of value.
Item (25) - Certify that you recognize that any support received under this mechanism is conditional upon the ability of your school(s) or library(ies) to secure access to all of the resources, including computers, training, software, maintenance, and electrical connections, necessary to use effectively the services that will be purchased under this mechanism. On FCC Form 471, you will need to certify that you have access to such funding.
Item (26) requires the person authorized to complete FCC Form 470 to certify to the accuracy of the form. The completed form must be completed electronically or submitted to: Schools and Libraries Corporation, P.O. Box 4217, Iowa City, Iowa 52244-4217.
Item (27): For applicants filing electronically: When you have completed this form, use your browser to print Block 6. When you print Block 6 using the browser, the form will automatically include your Form 470 Universal Service Control Number, Applicant Name, and Applicant Address. Item (27) must be signed by the person who will certify to the accuracy of the information on the form. Mail the signed Block 6 to: Schools and Libraries Corporation, P.O. Box 4217, Iowa City, Iowa 52244-4217. Note: Do not mail the complete Form 470; mail only the signed Block 6.
IV. REMINDERS.
