Welcome to the E-Rate page!
More information may be found at www.usac.org/sl OR send an email to Meg White
Please read this important letter sent to Erate Contact People, Library directors and Managers, and Board Presidents on 11/29/2010. E-rate letter from the Director
IMPORTANT TIPS 
Each year E-Rate becomes more involved. Bills become harder to understand, and service providers try to win or maintain your business by offering multi-year contracts. This is why I am taking this time to remind you of a few very important rules.
· Your applications are based on tariffed rates. Tariffed Services are telecommunication services that you purchase at prices regulated by your state regulatory commission and/or the FCC, for which you cannot have a SIGNED written contract. (Once you sign a contract, the application for that funding year is invalid and because you have signed a contract you are not open to accept any bids you might receive during the bidding process for the remaining years of the contract. Therefore, you will lose E-Rate eligibility for all years of the contract). Do not sign any contracts for phone service.
· Your Library should not consider changing service providers without talking to NCLS first so that you are aware of its ramifications. There is paperwork involved in any change, and there are also service providers out there who do not participate in E-RATE. It will be disappointing if the change nets a 20% savings but a loss of 70% in E-RATE reimbursements.
· You certify that you will retain required documents for a period of at least five years, which includes copies of all phone bills. Do not just assume that the treasurer is keeping these. You are acknowledging that you may be audited and you are certifying that in the event of an audit, you will make these records available to the Administrator.
· Keep copies of all correspondence including emails from the PIA (Program Integrity Assurance) Do not ignore any bids from other Service Providers received during the bidding process between the filing of your 470 in November or December and the filing of your 471 in January and February. Every bid must be addressed. Call NCLS for assistance.
· Just because some of you pay the town or village for your phone service, under no circumstances does the reimbursement check go to them. This must be deposited into your account and you may be called upon to show how you used it. The library must be paying for phone service.
