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The
School and Library Division (SLD) is providing new flexibility
to Districts in need of changing a service provider (vendor)
after filing its FCC form 471. The SLD recognizes that
circumstances for applicants and providers may change over the
course of a contract:
 The original
bidder may
no longer be willing to
provide the requested
service.
The applicant
discovers
a provider offering more
competitive prices.
Service
Provider Information Number (SPIN) changes may not fit
squarely within the existing three exceptions under USF
guidelines. Namely, the service provider (vendor):
1.
Refuses to participate in
the school and library
support mechanism,
2.
Has gone out of business, or
3.
Has breached its contract
with the applicant.
The SLD
wishes the applicant to have the flexibility to select the
provider whose service best meets the
applicant’s needs. Therefore, the SLD will expand
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the applicant’s choice of substitute service provider beyond
those providers that participated in the applicant’s initial
competitive bidding process. However, circumstances in which
it may be reasonable to select a substitute service provider
that did not participate in the initial competitive bidding
for that applicant cannot be anticipated.
To
begin the process, the applicant must:
Comply with
the
Commission’s competitive
bidding requirement,
Determine that a
service
provider substitution is
permitted under the terms
of the contract with its
original service provider
and relevant state or local
laws,
Notify the
original
provider of its intent to
change providers.
The
SLD will not permit a substitute service provider to receive
funding for a service in an amount exceeding the amount
requested on the applicant’s FCC Form 471 for that service.
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