Universal Service Administrative Company Schools and Library Division Web Site Tour & Data Retrieval Tool 1 Statewide ITV E-Rate Training Tuesday, November 27, 2012 Mary Mehsikomer Cindy Lee Olson Nancy Walton

= Home Page 2

About the Program 3

Process Overview 4 If you click on these links you will get detailed instructions on each step!

Reference Area 5 Select the letter of the alphabet you are looking for and it will bring you to that section, or scroll down to see entire list.

Program Integrity Appeals, Audits and the Bad Guys…. 6 The Appeals link provides you with instructions on how to file an appeal. The Audit and Assessments link describes different types of Beneficiary Audits and Payment Assurances. The Suspensions & Debarments link gives you a list of all people and companies prohibited from participating in the e-rate program.

Eligibility and Eligible Services 7 To the left you can see the list of each year’s eligible service list. The top section of this page provides information on what it takes to be eligible to receive E-Rate discounts.

Document Retention 8 Click on this link to see a list of information and documentation you should keep for 5 years past the last day of service.

9 Training & Outreach List of upcoming events here. Access to weekly news briefs here. If you haven’t signed up for them, you should! Handouts and reference material here. Recorded trainings here. To request a visit from USAC to help you with the program, click here.

On-Line Forms 10

Form 470 Options 11 Select funding year then hit next. Type in the criteria you would like to search then hit next. Two options to create form 470, for new people the interview option might work better, but I prefer the “Create Form 470” option!

Search 470 Applications 12 Highlight the form you are interested in and the entire form shows up. You can then print it off or just scroll down to see what you want.

Form 471 Options 13 Two options to create form 471, for new people the interview option might work better, but I prefer the “Create Form 471” option! Type in your form 471 number and click on “Current” if funding has been committed, or “Original” if funding has not yet been committed, then click on Display.

Form 471 Display 14 From here you can display the entire application or select just one “Block” to review. Great way to check discount calculations or funding requests.

Form 471 Application Status 15 Type in your Billed Entity Number, select funding year and then click on search. You will get this screen next. Click continue.

16 Here is the form’s status This is what the status means Form 471 Application Status

Form 471 Options 17 This is where you would submit your “Item 21 Attachment” if you were going to file it on-line. You can also fax, mail and your item 21 attachments.

Form Two options to create form 486, for new people the interview option might work better, but I prefer the “Create Form 486” option!

Form 472 – AKA the BEAR 19 BEAR Login Screen Once you have logged in, you can create new BEAR forms or track forms you have already completed to check on certification status from your service providers.

Tracking BEAR Forms 20 Insert your parameters and then click on search.

Tracking BEAR Forms 21 To check on Provider certification, select an invoice and scroll down to the Service Provider section.

Forms & Form Instructions Library 22

23 Deadline Tools

24 Latest News

25 Samples & Examples

26 Funding Commitments Click on Advanced Search. Select funding year. Type in Minnesota Type in Wave # (if known) Click on Search

27 Funding Commitments Click on Export and open Excel file.

28 Search Tools (Data Retrieval)

29 Search Tools (Data Retrieval) cont.

30 Data Retrieval Tool Enter your search criteria. If you would like a more advanced search, click “Select Data Points” then click on what data points you would like to see.

31 Data Points Available

32 Excel File Download Potential uses: Has your service provider billed USAC? Has your BEAR form been processed through to disbursements? Who else has used Icon Enterprises for their service provider? What is my service start date? What is my last date to invoice? What is my contract expiration date?

33 Submitting a Question Click on Continue. If you have a question on a specific form or topic select that. Otherwise select “Other” and click “Go”.

34 Submitting a Question Click on “Other” then click on “Continue”. Type in your contact information. If you need to submit an electronic attachment, click yes. Then click on “Continue”.

35 Now What? What happens after you submit a question? If you said you have an electronic attachment you will get an with instructions on how to submit the attachment. You are assigned a “case number” to track the question. You will receive an answer from USAC.

Great Resources Available on Web Site! Lots of Great Data! Play With The Site You’ll be Surprised at What you Learn! 36