February 14, 2020

Funding Year (FY) 2020 FCC Form 471 Filing Window Countdown

The Funding Year (FY) 2020 application filing window is open. The filing window will close on Wednesday, March 25, 2020 at 11:59:59 p.m. EDT.

Note, the last day to post an FCC Form 470 for FY2020 and still be able to timely certify an FCC Form 471 is Wednesday, February 26, 2020 (see January 3 SL News Brief).

TIP OF THE WEEK: February 26 is the last day you can certify an FCC Form 470 and still be able to timely file an FCC Form 471. We strongly encourage you to file your FCC Form 470 as soon as possible. If you wait until February 26 to certify your FCC Form 470, you will have to choose your service provider, sign a contract (if applicable), and certify your FCC Form 471 all on March 25, the last day of the FY2020 application filing window.

Commitments for Funding Years 2019 and 2018

Funding Year 2019. USAC released FY2019 Wave 46 Funding Commitment Decision Letters (FCDLs) on February 13. As of February 14, FY2019 commitments total over $2.22 billion.

Funding Year 2018. USAC released FY2018 Wave 82 FCDLs on February 10. As of February 14, FY2018 commitments total over $2.31 billion.

On the date that FCDLs are issued, you can access your FCDL notification from the Notifications section of your landing page in the E-rate Productivity Center (EPC).

Webinar Reminder

Our next office hour webinar will be held on Thursday, February 27, at 1:00 p.m. ET. The topic is "Service Provider Selection and FCC Form 471." We recommend this sessions for applicants and service providers of all E-rate experience levels.

As a reminder, to participate in an office hour webinar, you should watch the suggested online training materials and formulate your questions in advance. The office hour webinar format consists of a short verbal summary of the online training materials followed by a question-and-answer (Q&A) session. The majority of the session will be dedicated to Q&A, so please come prepared with your questions.

For this webinar, the recommended training materials are:

• Application Process – a detailed description of the steps to follow in conducting a competitive bidding process, applying for discounts, and receiving a funding commitment, and
• FCC Form 471 video series – a set of screen-by-screen walkthroughs that cover the preparation of an online FCC Form 471.

How to File a RAL Modification

If you were not able to make all of the appropriate updates to your applicant profile in EPC before the close of the administrative window, you can provide your updated information by filing a Receipt Acknowledgment Letter (RAL) modification after filing your application(s) but before you receive your funding commitment decision. Applicants receive the RAL in their EPC News feed after certifying an FCC Form 471. The RAL modification function allows you to provide specific information in an organized format, which makes it easier for Program Integrity Assurance (PIA) reviewers to locate and understand the changes you want to make.

To start a RAL modification, locate and open your certified FCC Form 471 using the search function at the bottom of your landing page. From the Related Actions menu, choose Submit Modification Request (RAL).

Here are the options available for RAL modifications:

Modify basic application information

To modify basic information on your form, click the Application button, choose Application Details from the sub-category dropdown, and click the Continue button.

• Click Cancel Application to cancel your application.
• Click Edit Application to modify the application nickname, the contact person, and/or the holiday contact information. You can also upload one or more documents and provide a description of each document.

Create an FRN or modify FRN details

Click the Application button and then choose Funding Request Details. You will see a list of the Funding Request Numbers (FRNs) that appear on this form.

• To modify an existing FRN, check the box to the left of the FRN.
  • View Line Items allows you to view the line items for that FRN. If you check the box next to a line item, you can edit the line item or manage the recipients of service.
  • Edit Funding Request allows you to cancel the FRN or edit the FRN key information.
  • Edit Purchase Agreement allows you to make certain changes to the information you originally entered regarding services provided under contract or on a tariffed or month-to-month basis. Note that if you chose contracted services and now want to associate a different contract record with your FRN, you must first create that new contract record in your profile so that it will appear in your search results.
• To create a new FRN and add its key information, click the Add FRN button. You will see a text field where you can add FRN details, and an option to upload one or more documents in order to provide the remainder of the information for the new FRN.

Modify the billed entity (BEN)

Click the Entity button and then the BEN button. Check the box to the left of the billed entity, then click the Edit button.

• You will see the Change Entity Details Form. You can provide new information or modify existing information in any of the editable fields. You can also upload one or more documents as described above.
• After you have entered your information, click the Submit & Continue button.

Add a related entity

Click the Entity button and then the BEN button. Check the box to the left of the billed entity, then click the Add Related Entity button.

• You will see a list of the entities and/or consultants associated with the billed entity. If for some reason an entity or consultant was not added to your form, check the box to the left of the name and click the Add button. (See below for how to associate a school to your school district or a library branch to your library system.)
• After you have entered your information, click the Finish & Submit Request button.

Modify information on one or more related entities

Click the Entity button and then the Related Entities button. You will see a list of all the entities associated with the billed entity on this form. Check the box to the left of the first entity you want to modify.

• To remove the entity, click the Remove button.
• To modify the entity's profile information, click the Edit button. You will see the Change Entity Details Form. You can provide or modify information and/or upload documents as described above.
• After you have provided your modifications for this entity, click the Submit & Continue button.
• You will then return to the list of related entities. You can modify another entity or, if you are finished, click Finish & Submit Request.

- Other modifications

If the modification you want to request is not included in the options above, create a document that describes your modification request in detail. To upload your document to your request, click the Application button, choose Application Details from the sub-category dropdown and click Continue, then use the Upload File function in the Supporting Documentation section of the Application Details page to upload your document.

You should use this upload feature if the Client Service Bureau (CSB) has created an entity for you during the time your profile has been locked, but they could not associate that entity with your organization. You can also indicate which FRN line items should feature this entity as a recipient of service. If you need assistance, open a customer service case in EPC or call CSB at (888) 203-8100.

- Submitting a request

After you have completed data entry for all of the modifications you would like to submit in this request, review the Requested Changes table one last time to make sure all of your modifications are correct. You can always remove a requested modification by checking the box to the left of the modification and clicking the Remove button.

To submit your request, click the Finish & Submit Request button at the bottom of the screen. Click Yes to continue or No to go back.

After you submit your request, you can review your list of requests by clicking the Reports tab and choosing My Submitted Modification Requests (RAL). You can also click the "View" link in the Supporting Document(s) column to see the documents you have uploaded to that request.

NOTE: The RAL modification(s) you submit do not take effect automatically. They will be included in the review of your application, and all the changes approved by your Program Integrity Assurance (PIA) reviewer will appear in the Current View of your FCC Form 471 after USAC has issued your funding commitment decision.