A window on history

A recent post by Funds for Learning, pointing out that the pace of filing of Forms 471 in the first 37 days of the window this year is about a third of last year, made me realize I hadn't posted an update of my usual table of ESL (Eligible Services List) and filing window dates.  So here it is:

FY	ESL release	Window open	60 days?	Window close	Window days
2005	10/14/2004	12/14/2004	61	2/17/2005	65
2006	11/22/2005	12/6/2005	14	2/16/2006	72
2007	10/19/2006	11/14/2006	26	2/7/2007	85
2008	10/19/2007	11/7/2007	19	2/7/2008	92
2009	11/21/2008	12/2/2008	11	2/12/2009	72
2010	12/2/2009	12/3/2009	1	2/11/2010	70
2011	12/6/2010	1/11/2011	36	3/24/2011	72
2012	9/28/2011	1/9/2012	103	3/20/2012	71
2013	9/27/2012	12/12/2012	76	3/14/2013	92

A couple of quick comments:

1. Hey a new record for earliest release date of the ESL!  Yippee!
2. And for the second year in a row, the FCC has met their own deadline of releasing the ESL at least 60 days before opening the window.  This could become a habit. [The 4th column in the table shows the number of days between the release of the ESL and the opening of the window.]
3. We tied the previous record for longest window.  Not the way Mel wanted to go, and I have to say that the longer window doesn't help applicants that much.  As FFL's analysis shows, few applicants took advantage of the days in December.  A longer window is really only useful if application review were quicker; you could theoretically get your funding rejected early in the window, then fix whatever the problem was, and restart the process from scratch and get a second 471 in before the end of the window.  Hey, I can dream, can't I?
4. The window close date is creeping earlier.  I think that's bad news.  As I've said before, I think the window should close in May.

The analysis I'd like to see goes the opposite direction of FFL's: we're now 52 days from the end of the window.  How many 471s were filed 52 days from the end of the window last year, as opposed to how many have been filed this year?  That would show whether applicants are taking any advantage of the earlier start.

50 shades of pink

What matter is so vital that it could tear me away to make a blog post in the heat of the filing window?  The color of the paper USAC is using, of course.

Long-time readers will know that I have long extolled the virtues of USAC's color-coded letters, and pined for a return to matching colored envelopes.  Yesterday we got a stack of RNLs (Really Nuisancy Letters), and while preparing to file this useless correspondence, our intrepid CSR noted that the pages were different colors.  At least it was not a repeat of the 2007 RAL salmon envelope horror, or the subsequent pink-FCDLs-in-blue-envelopes apocalypse, but some of the letters were kind of a washed-out pink.

Who is on color quality control over at USAC?  Whoever it is, s/he should get on 3 matters urgently:

1. Ensure consistency of color.  Pink seems to be the biggest trouble area, so the focus should be there in the short term.
2. Bring back colored envelopes.  We need to bring this program back to its former greatness.  Color-coded envelopes were a proud tradition of this program from the time color-coding was started, so we shouldn't accept a watered-down version of all the useless letters we get from USAC.
3. Make those recalcitrants over in invoicing get with the program.  I want my BEAR notifications color-coded.

Less urgently, how about putting another color or two in the rotation?  Because letters from 3 funding years ago aren't that unusual, so there's some overlap.

We need a new USAC department on this.  Color Integrity Assurance?  Or maybe we just expand an existing department.   Trainings, Outreach and Hue?

By the way, kudos to the Michigan Department of Education for creating a historical list of the colors used.  Please update it, though.  And please change the pink color; you'd think #FF9999 would be pink, but it's really salmon.  #FF99FF would be a better choice.  While you're at it, I'd lighten the blue to #0099FF and the yellow to #FFFF66.  Easier on the eyes and closer to the actual color of the paper.