|
Form 471 - Reminders for Last-minute Filers
March 24, 2011
Forms 471 and Item 21 attachments received or postmarked after Thursday, March 24, 2011 at 11:59 pm EDT will be considered as received out-of-window.
If your application is deemed out-of-window, you must file a window waiver request with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
The Client Service Bureau (CSB) will be open until 12:30 am EDT on Friday, March 25 to provide information to last-minute filers. Below are several resources you can also use if you have questions.
The Form 471 Instructions provide filing requirements for the form and general instructions. You can also find specific instructions for completing your entries for each item on the form, including detailed information on discount calculations.
The February 25, 2011 SL News Brief covers general information about Form 471.
The Tips and Troubleshooting guidance document includes specific information about online filing issues. You can always call CSB if you are having difficulties filing online, but following this guidance can help you avoid problems. Here are just a few of the tips from that document:
-
Use Internet Explorer 6.0 or higher. Using other browsers may generate errors and "page not found" messages during certain points in the process.
-
Disable popup blockers. This will allow warning messages to appear if you have missed a field or entered data that is incomplete or inconsistent.
-
Clear your temporary Internet files, especially if you are submitting multiple forms on the same day. Otherwise data from a previous form may populate a current form.
-
Set your browser to load the current version of a page. This ensures that your browser is not loading a page from its memory with information that is out of date.
-
If you are receiving an error message after completing Block 1, you may want to check your firewall settings.
-
Don't open multiple tabs in the same browser window. We suggest that you work with multiple windows instead.
The website guidance under Step 7. Submit Form 471 contains much useful information related to Form 471. Look especially in the related guidance documents listed in the upper right-hand corner of this web page.
For more information, you can refer to the March 15, 2011 Special Edition News Brief. You should also review the Item 21 Attachments guidance on the USAC website.
If you need assistance, you can Submit a Question or contact the Client Service Bureau by fax at 1-888-276-8736 or by phone at 1-888-203-8100.
|