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Form 471 - 10 Tips for FY2011 Online Filers
March 15, 2011
If you have not yet started your Form 471:
1. Get an FCC Registration Number (FCC RN) if you don't yet have one. FCC RNs are required for Block 1 entities (Billed Entities). They are not required for Block 4 entities (recipients of service).
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If you have an FCC RN and have already given it to USAC during the review of a previous year application, your FCC RN should show up in Item 3b if you file online. If the number is incorrect, you can correct it.
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2. Review your entity name, number, address, and category in the Billed Entity Search Tool and change any incorrect information. The Client Service Bureau (CSB) can process changes to Entity Number information. (The terms Entity Number and Billed Entity Number (BEN) are essentially interchangeable.) You can contact CSB by phone at 1-888-203-8100. If you have more than three entities to update, please gather the information requested in the Entity Numbers guidance document and either
Note that in some cases you may need to correct the category as well. For example, if your entity is categorized as a "DISTRICT" instead of a "SCHOOL," you will not be able to enter it on a Block 4 worksheet.
3. Request Entity Numbers for any new entities. You will need an Entity Number for the Billed Entity in Block 1 and an Entity Number for each recipient of service in Block 4. As above, you can contact CSB to create new entities and get Entity Numbers assigned to them. Please use the online or fax options if you have more than three new entities or changes to existing entities.
4. Locate your NCES or FSCS codes. NCES codes identify individual schools by state, school district, and school; FSCS codes identify libraries by state, library system, and outlet/branch. You can search for your code starting with the Data Tools page of the NCES website, or you can contact your state department of education or state library for assistance.
If you cannot find your code when you are ready to complete your Form 471, you will be allowed to bypass that entry. However, please note that this information is used by our system to associate schools with school districts, and is therefore valuable to school districts searching for all their member schools when filing online.
5. Locate the Service Provider Identification Number (SPIN) for each of your service providers. Service providers file a Form 498 to obtain a SPIN and provide or update their contact and banking information. You will enter the SPIN for the service provider in Item 13 of each Block 5 funding request. Service providers may have more than one SPIN, so be sure that you have the correct one.
During the last week of the window, USAC will provide an "interim SPIN" to allow applicants to complete a Form 471 online if one or more of their service providers has not yet obtained a SPIN. Applicants can then update the interim SPIN with the correct SPIN using the Receipt Acknowledgment Letter correction process or during application review.
6. Check the Form 470 you intend to cite on each funding request. The Form 470 must have been:
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posted for the category of service featured on the funding request
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posted on the USAC website for at least 28 days
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the Form 470 that opened the competitive bidding process that resulted in the bid you (or your state, if you are citing a state-filed Form 470) chose as the most cost-effective solution, with the price of the eligible products and services as the factor weighted most heavily in the evaluation.
If you have not yet certified your Form 470, we suggest that you do so now. (See below for online and paper certification guidance.)
7. Review the information requested in Block 2 about high-speed Internet access services. If you are not sure of the connection speed(s) you will have, you can ask your service provider or make your best estimate. You must provide an entry in each field of Block 2, so enter "0" if no buildings are served at a particular speed.
8a. FOR LIBRARIES - have the required student counts ready for your Block 4 worksheet(s). The discount for a library is calculated by dividing the total number of students eligible for the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) in the public school district in which the library is located by the total number of students in that school district. Many states include student NSLP participation numbers on a state website for use by applicants; you can also get these numbers from the public school district. You will also need to provide your Urban/Rural status.
8b. FOR SCHOOLS - have your demographic information ready for your Block 4 worksheet(s). For each Block 4 recipient of service, you must indicate if one or more of the following apply:
If you have already submitted your Form 471:
CONGRATULATIONS! Now don't forget to:
9. Certify your form. From the Apply Online page:
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Click on Electronic Certification if you have a Personal Identification Number or PIN. The certification page will appear. Enter your PIN, check the box to affirm your compliance, and click on the Done button at the bottom of the page. We suggest you print out a copy of the resulting page that contains your CertID, which is a unique number that verifies your successful online certification.
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Click on Paper Certification if you do not have a PIN or cannot locate your PIN. Print a copy of the certification page that appears, sign and date it, and send it to USAC by delivery service or US Mail. We suggest that you keep a copy of your submission and proof of postmark or delivery.
10. Submit your Item 21 attachment. The Item 21 attachment is a window filing requirement. For assistance in preparing and submitting your Item 21 attachment, refer to the Item 21 Attachments guidance document on the USAC website and the March 11, 2011 SL News Brief.
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