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                                                           Before the
               Federal Communications Commission
                     Washington, D.C. 20554



In the Matter of

Request for Review of the Decision of the 
Universal Service Administrative Company
by 

Cordova Public Schools
Cordova, Alaska

Federal-State Joint Board on Universal
Service

Changes to the Board of Directors of the 
National  Exchange Carrier Association, Inc.
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SLD-F001896


CC Docket No. 96-45


CC Docket No. 97-21



                             ORDER
                                
   Adopted:  September 13, 2000         Released: September 14, 2000

By the Common Carrier Bureau:

1.     The Common Carrier Bureau (the Bureau) has under consideration a Request for
Review filed by Cordova Public Schools (Cordova), Cordova, Alaska.  Cordova seeks review of
a decision by the Schools and Libraries Division (SLD) of the Universal Service Administrative
Company to reject Cordova's application as failing to meet SLD's minimum processing
standards because the application did not bear a valid signature.  Because the Bureau finds that
SLD's decision was in error, the Bureau grants Cordova's appeal and remands its application to
SLD for further processing.
2.     Under the schools and libraries universal service support mechanism, eligible schools,
libraries, and consortia that include eligible schools and libraries, may apply for discounts for
eligible telecommunications services, Internet access, and internal connections.  The applicant
requests support for services ordered by submitting an FCC Form 471, which must bear an
original signature of a person authorized to submit the form on behalf of the applicant.
Applications filed during the filing window prescribed in section 54.507(c) of the Commission's
rules are deemed simultaneously filed and are prioritized according to the rules set forth in
section 54.507(g) of the Commission's rules.  The filing window for the 1998-99 funding year
(Year 1) opened on January 30, 1998, and closed on April 15, 1998.
3.     Cordova filed an FCC Form 471 requesting support for discounted services in Year 1
on April 13, 1998, two days before the close of the Year 1 filing window.  On April 29, 1998,
SLD returned the FCC Form 471 to Cordova, stating that Cordova's application failed to meet
SLD's minimum processing standards because the signature was not original, and requested that
Cordova sign the form in blue ink.  Cordova subsequently signed the FCC Form 471 in blue ink
and refiled the application on May 8, 1998.  Because the filing window had closed by that time,
Cordova lost its status as a filing window applicant.
4.     Cordova contends that its initial FCC Form 471 had an original signature, albeit in
black ink, and that SLD, therefore, erroneously rejected its application.  Although an FCC Form
471 must bear an original signature, there is no requirement governing the color of ink to be
used.  Because review of the Cordova's initial FCC Form 471 supports Cordova's assertion that
its application bore an original signature, the Bureau concludes that SLD erroneously rejected
Cordova's application.  The Bureau, therefore, grants Cordova's request for review and instructs
SLD to process Cordova's application according to its original April 13, 1998 filing date.
5.     ACCORDINGLY, IT IS ORDERED, pursuant to authority delegated under sections
0.91, 0.291, and 54.722(a) of the Commission's rules, 47 C.F.R.  0.91. 0.291, and 54.722(a),
that the request for review filed by Cordova Public Schools, Cordova, Alaska, on March 6, 2000,
IS GRANTED and that Cordova's application IS REMANDED to SLD for further consideration
in light of this decision.
                              FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION



                              Carol E. Mattey
                              Deputy Chief, Common Carrier Bureau