March 12, 2021

Funding Year (FY) 2021 FCC Form 471 Filing Window Countdown

The Funding Year (FY) 2021 application filing window is open. The application filing window will close on Thursday, March 25, 2021 at 11:59:59 p.m. EDT.

TIP OF THE WEEK: The FY2021 FCC Form 471 application filing window closes in less than two weeks. Please do not wait until the last minute to complete and certify your form, especially if you have questions about the information to include on your form.

Commitments for Funding Year (FY) 2020

FY2020. USAC released FY2020 Wave 46 Funding Commitment Decision Letters (FCDLs) on March 11. As of March 12, FY2020 commitments total over $2.32 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).

Update to One Portal Terms and Conditions

One Portal is USAC's multi-factor authentication (MFA) system put in place to increase the security of Universal Service Fund (USF) IT applications.

The terms and conditions for use of One Portal have been updated to improve the overall format of the document and also edited for clarity and consistency, for example, by adding references to the new Emergency Broadband Benefit (EBB) program.

All One Portal users will be required to accept the updated terms and conditions the next time they log in to One Portal.

Extended CSB Hours for the Application Filing Window

The Client Service Bureau (CSB) will be open additional hours in advance of the close of the FY2021 application filing window to help applicants with last-minute issues.

Here are CSB's hours starting March 20, 2021 (all times are EDT):

• Saturday, March 20: 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
• Sunday, March 21: CLOSED
• Monday, March 22: 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
• Tuesday, March 23: 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.
• Wednesday, March 24: 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.
• Thursday, March 25: 8:00 a.m. to 11:59 p.m.

Interim SPIN Now Available

Some service providers who are new to the E-Rate program may have applied for but not yet received a Service Provider Identification Number (SPIN). Also, some applicants whose service providers have multiple SPINs or are undergoing a merger or acquisition may not be sure which SPIN to include on an FCC Form 471 funding request.

Shortly before the close of the application filing window, USAC enables an "interim SPIN" (143666666). Applicants can file an FCC Form 471 funding request and use this interim SPIN as a placeholder in order to timely file their form. They can then update the SPIN through a Receipt Acknowledgment Letter (RAL) modification (see below) or during the review of their application.

The interim SPIN is now available. However, we encourage applicants to identify the correct SPIN on their FCC Form 471 funding requests if at all possible to speed USAC's review of their application.

Filing an FY2021 FCC Form 471

Below are reminders for some of the actions you should be undertaking before the application filing window closes.

Wait the full 28 days before selecting your service provider(s) and certifying your FCC Form 471.

You are required to wait at least 28 days after your FCC Form 470 is certified before you choose a service provider, sign a contract (if applicable), and certify your FCC Form 471.

• EPC will not allow you to create a contract record if the FCC Form 470 you try to cite on the record has not been posted for at least 28 days.
• For services provided under tariff or on a month-to-month basis, EPC will not allow you to finish entering a funding request for those services if the FCC Form 470 you cite on the request has not been posted for at least 28 days.

Make sure that you are able to work on an FCC Form 471.

Your account administrator must have created you as a user in EPC with rights to complete and/or certify the FCC Form 471. Note that new users must first accept the terms and conditions for EPC use by clicking the Tasks tab from the menu at the top of the landing page and choosing the appropriate task.

After your rights have been assigned, you can click the FCC Form 471 link at the top of your organization's landing page to start your form.

If you have access to the form but cannot enter information or take other actions, call our Client Service Bureau (CSB) at (888) 203-8100 for assistance.

Start your FCC Form 471, even if you are not ready to provide funding request details.

After you start your form, you can see your progress through the form by referring to the progress bar at the top of each page. If you need to stop before you have finished, the system will create a task for you under the Tasks tab to resume your work at the point you left.

Be sure to review the following as you progress through your form:

• Your organization's information (e.g., name, address, telephone number, attributes).
• Your related entities' information (e.g., name, address, urban/rural status, attributes, student counts for schools, library square footage and library main branch designation for libraries).
• Your organization's urban/rural designation and discount calculation.

Because entity profiles are locked, you will not be able to make any changes at this point. However, by making a note of any necessary updates, you will be ready to submit a RAL modification (see below) to inform us of those updates.

Create a contract record for each new contract or legally binding agreement.

You must have a contract record in your profile for each contract or legally binding agreement you intend to cite on your FY2021 FCC Form 471. You then cite the contract record on each funding request for services that will be provided under that contract when you create the funding request on your form.

• If you created a contract recording an earlier year for a multi-year contract that covers your services for FY2021, you can cite that contract record this year.
• If you created a contract record in an earlier year for a contract with voluntary extensions, you do not need to create a new contract record if your extension covers services for FY2021. First, work with your service provider to exercise the extension for your FY2021 services. Then, when you cite that contract record on a funding request, enter the last date of service for FY2021 in the appropriate field on the funding request. You do not have to create a new contract record simply because you exercised your option to extend the contract.

File a RAL modification if you realize you have missing, incomplete, or incorrect information on your certified form.

The RAL modification process allows you to notify USAC of any changes or additions you want to make to your form after it has been certified. A RAL modification becomes part of the documentation that Program Integrity Assurance (PIA) includes in the review of your application.

To start, locate your certified FCC Form 471 in EPC, either by searching under the Records tab in EPC for FCC Forms 471 or by going to the FCC Forms and Post-Commitment Requests section of your landing page. From the Related Actions menu at the top of the form, choose Submit Modification Request (RAL) and follow the prompts.

Contact CSB as soon as possible if you need assistance.

You can open a customer service case in EPC or call CSB at (888) 203-8100. Do not wait until the last minute to contact us with questions or issues.

If you choose to open a customer service case, you also have the ability to attach one or more documents that provide any information we need to process your request.