*Pages 1--2 from  Microsoft Word - 12868.doc*
 Federal  Communications  Commission  DA  01-  2648 
 Before  the  Federal  Communications  Commission 
 Washington,  DC  20554 


 In  the  Matter  of  ) 
 ) 
 Request  for  Review  of  the  ) 
 Decision  of  the  ) 
 Universal  Service  Administrator  by  ) 
 ) 
 Northeastern  Educational  Intermediate  Unit  19  )  File  No.  SLD-  188358 
 Archbald,  Pennsylvania  ) 
 ) 
 Federal-  State  Joint  Board  on  )  CC  Docket  No.  96-  45 
 Universal  Service  ) 
 ) 
 Changes  to  the  Board  of  Directors  of  the  )  CC  Docket  No.  97-  21 
 National  Exchange  Carrier  Association,  Inc.  ) 


 ORDER 
 Adopted:  November  13,  2001  Released:  November  14,  2001 
 By  the  Accounting  Policy  Division,  Common  Carrier  Bureau: 
 1.  The  Accounting  Policy  Division  has  under  consideration  a  Request  for  Review 
 filed  by  Northeastern  Educational  Intermediate  Unit  19  (Northeastern),  Archbald,  Pennsylvania.  1 
 Northeastern  seeks  review  of  a  decision  issued  by  the  Schools  and  Libraries  Division  (SLD)  of 
 the  Universal  Service  Administrative  Company  (Administrator)  to  reject  Northeastern’s  appeal 
 to  SLD  on  the  grounds  that  it  was  untimely  filed.  For  the  reasons  set  forth  below,  we  deny 
 Northeastern’s  Request  for  Review. 


 2.  SLD  issued  a  Funding  Commitment  Decision  Letter  on  July  7,  2000,  denying  part 
 of  Northeastern’s  request  for  discounted  services  under  the  schools  and  libraries  universal 
 service  support  mechanism.  2  Specifically,  SLD  denied  Northeastern’s  request  for  discounts  for 
 telecommunications  services,  Funding  Request  Number  (FRN)  397733.  3  On  December  26, 
 2000,  Northeastern  filed  an  appeal  of  SLD’s  decision  to  deny  FRN  397733.  4  On  January  2, 


 1  Letter  from  Brian  R.  Dolan,  Northeastern  Educational  Intermediate  Unit  19,  to  Federal  Communications 
 Commission,  filed  January  16,  2001  (Request  for  Review). 
 2  Letter  from  Schools  and  Libraries  Division,  Universal  Service  Administrative  Company,  to  Brian  R.  Dolan, 
 Northeastern  Educational  Intermediate  Unit  19,  dated  July  7,  2000  (Funding  Commitment  Decision  Letter). 
 3  Id. 


 4  Letter  from  Brian  R.  Dolan,  Northeastern  Educational  Intermediate  Unit  19,  to  Schools  and  Libraries  Division, 
 Universal  Service  Administrative  Company,  filed  December  26,  2000  (Request  for  Administrator  Review). 
1
 Federal  Communications  Commission  DA  01-  2648 
 2 
 2001,  SLD  issued  an  Administrator's  Decision  on  Appeal  indicating  that  it  would  not  consider 
 Northeastern’s  appeal  because  it  was  received  more  than  30  days  after  the  Funding  Commitment 
 Decision  Letter  was  issued.  5  Northeastern  subsequently  filed  the  instant  Request  for  Review 
 with  the  Commission. 


 3.  Under  section  54.720(  b)  of  the  Commission’s  rules,  an  appeal  must  be  filed  with 
 the  Commission  or  SLD  within  30  days  of  the  issuance  of  the  decision  that  the  party  seeks  to 
 have  reviewed.  6  Documents  are  considered  to  be  filed  with  the  Commission  or  SLD  only  upon 
 receipt.  7  The  30-  day  deadline  contained  in  section  54.720(  b)  of  the  Commission’s  rules  applies 
 to  all  requests  for  review  filed  by  a  party  affected  by  a  decision  issued  by  the  Administrator. 
 Because  Northeastern  failed  to  file  an  appeal  of  the  July  7,  2000  Funding  Commitment  Decision 
 Letter  within  the  requisite  30-  day  appeal  period,  we  affirm  SLD’s  decision  to  dismiss 
 Northeastern’s  appeal  to  SLD  as  untimely  and  deny  the  instant  Request  for  Review. 


 4.  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  Northeastern  Educational  Intermediate  Unit  19, 
 Archbald,  Pennsylvania  on  January  16,  2001,  IS  DENIED. 


 FEDERAL  COMMUNICATIONS  COMMISSION 


 Mark  G.  Seifert 
 Deputy  Chief,  Accounting  Policy  Division 
 Common  Carrier  Bureau 


 5  Letter  from  Schools  and  Libraries  Division,  Universal  Service  Administrative  Company,  to  Brian  R.  Dolan, 
 Northeastern  Educational  Intermediate  Unit  19,  dated  January  2,  2001  (Administrator's  Decision  on  Appeal). 
 6  47  C.  F.  R.  §  54.  720(  b). 


 7  47  C.  F.  R.  §  1.7. 
2