Okla. Admin. Code § 165:59-7-1

Current through Vol. 42, No. 7, December 16, 2024

Section 165:59-7-1 - Evaluation Process for Special Universal Service cases

The Administrator will utilize the following procedures when evaluating a request for OUSF funding for the provision of services supported by the OUSF to a Public School, a Public Libary, or an Eligible Health Care Entity:

(1) A fair and open competitive bidding process shall be used to select the services and Eligible Provider for which OUSF funding will be sought.

(2) An affidavit will be required from the OUSF Beneficiary that the bid information submitted to the Administrator for review contains all the bids received by the OUSF Beneficiary. All evaluation tools utilized by the OUSF Beneficiary while reviewing the bids, including all received bids, must be provided to the Administrator in a manner approved by the Administrator.

(3) The OUSF will not reimburse charges for redundant service(s). However, if the Eligible Provider is unable to provision the eligible bandwidth using a single access line, the OUSF Beneficiary may choose to employ multiple access lines to provision the eligible bandwidth level established by the SETDA standard for Public Schools, or consistent with 17 O.S. §139.109.1(A)(1) for Eligible Health Care Entities or 17 O.S. § 139.109.1(A)(3) for Public Libraries, as long as all lines are provisioned by the same Eligible Provider. The Administrator may waive this requirement for good cause shown.

(4) The OUSF shall not fund more than one Eligible Provider for the same service at the same location for the same time period, except during a transition period from one Eligible Provider to another. Such funding during a transition period shall not exceed thirty (30) calendar days.

(5) The OUSF will fund either the lowest cost reasonable qualifying bid, or a bid that is no more than 25% above the lowest cost reasonable qualifying bid, inclusive of all non-recurring eligible charges, for the eligible bandwidth range of the OUSF Beneficiary. If the selected bid is more than 25% above the lowest cost reasonable qualifying bid, the OUSF will fund the lowest cost reasonable qualifying bid plus the 25%.

(6) The OUSF Beneficiary's request for bids shall clearly identify the minimum and a maximum bandwidth at standard available levels consistent with guidelines promulgated by the FCC and as provided in OAC 165:59-7-19.

(7) The OUSF will fund reasonable installation and/or reasonable Special Construction Cost, in accordance with OAC 165:59-7-21.

Okla. Admin. Code § 165:59-7-1

Added at 14 Ok Reg 2562, eff 7-1-97 ; Amended at 15 Ok Reg 1199, eff 1-6-98 (emergency); Amended at 15 Ok Reg 1919, eff 7-1-98 ; Amended at 28 Ok Reg 2255, eff 7-25-11 ; Amended at 29 Ok Reg 1583, eff 7-12-12 ; Amended at 30 Ok Reg 1581, eff 7-11-13

Amended by Oklahoma Register, Volume 32, Issue 23, August 17, 2015, eff. 8/27/2015

Amended by Oklahoma Register, Volume 34, Issue 24, September 1, 2017, eff. 9/11/2017

Amended by Oklahoma Register, Volume 41, Issue 23, August 15, 2024, eff. 9/1/2024