determine eligibility as a school, district, non-instructional facility, or library

locate or obtain an entity name and number for each eligible site

ASAP

determine need for eligible products and services that will be used for educational purposes

ASAP

examine budgets to determine what you can afford

calculate your E-Rate discount rate to help with your plan

ASAP

Action:
file an FCC Form 470 to indicate the products and services being sought for the following funding year, with any necessary RFPs

Filing Window:
TBD annually, usually July 1 - February preceding the funding year

Constraints:
form must be filed before contracts are signed

Deadline:
both the form and any RFP must be posted 29 days prior to the close of the Form 471 Filing Window --- last day to post a Form 470 is February 20

Services provided under tariff or on a month-to-month basis require an FCC Form 470 to be posted each year. If, however, a multi-year contract or a contract specifying voluntary extensions results from the competitive bidding process, it is not necessary to post a new FCC Form 470 until a new contract is required.

When posted, USAC issues an FCC Form 470 Receipt Notification Letter (RNL).

service providers (1) review requests for eligible one-time equipment purchases or for ongoing monthly service arrangements and (2) submit bids

Constraints:
form must be posted for at least 28 days

applicant (1) selects the most cost-effective service provider through an open, fair, competitive bidding process and (2) signs a contract

Constraints:
must wait at least 28 days after the date the FCC Form 470 is posted and the date the RFP is issued, whichever is later, before closing the bidding process and signing a contract

An existing contract for the current year cannot be simply extended into the next year unless the extension requirement is included in the contract and a formal extension is signed.

The applicant communicates the bid award decision to the service providers.

Action:
update the organization's EPC profile with updates to member schools and the data that will be used on the Form 471 to calculate E-Rate discounts

Administrative Window:
TBD annually, usually October - January preceding the funding year

Once the Administrative Window closes, profile data is locked and cannot be changed until after the Form 471 filing window has closed.

Action:
file an FCC Form 471 to indicate all contracts and services for which the applicant is requesting discounts

Filing Window:
TBD annually, usually Janaury 1 - March preceding the funding year

Constraints:
no earlier than 29 days after FCC Form 470 is posted

Deadline:
before the filing window closes

A Form 471 must be filed every year, even when under multi-year contracts.

Category 1 requests must be on a different form than Category 2 requests.

When received, USAC sends an FCC Form 471 Receipt Acknowledgment Letter (RAL) to all parties.

Program Integrity Assurance (PIA) reviewers at USAC check the information on the applicant's FCC Form 471 for completeness and accuracy and may have additional questions to be answered

Applicants have 15 days to respond to PIA questions.

When received, USAC sends an FCC Form 471 Receipt Acknowledgment Letter (RAL) to all parties.

notification of the funding decision that has been made for each Funding Request on each FCC Form 471 filed by the applicant

Constraints:
a funding decision will be made only after the reviews have been completed

Individual Funding Requests for the same applicant will not necessarily be reviewed at the same time.

If the applicant disagrees with a funding decision, they may appeal within 60 days of the FCDL.

When funding has been determined, USAC sends a Funding Commitment Decision Letter (FCDL) to all parties.

Action:
file an FCC Form 486 to confirm receipt of services and service start date

Constraints:
cannot be filed until an FCDL is received and services have started

Deadline:
must be certified no later than 120 days after the service start date or 120 days after the date of the FCDL, whichever is later

When the form has been processed, USAC issues an FCC Form 486 Notification Letter.

service provider bills the applicant for products and services provided to the applicant

applicant pays total billed amount to the service provider

Constraints:
USAC expects applicants to pay invoices within 90 days of receipt

Action:
file an FCC Form 498 to provide banking information for direct deposit reimbursements, and supporting documentation verifying the bank account information

Deadline:
prior to first BEAR filed in FY2016 or later

This form only has to be filed one time. Once it is approved, it is applicable to all subsequent BEAR filings.

When the form has been processes, USAC issues a 498 ID for use on BEARs.

Action:
file an FCC Form 472 to request reimbursement for the discount amount on eligible services that have already been billed by the service provider and paid in full by the applicant to the service provider

Constraints:
cannot be filed until:

• an FCDL is issued
• the services have been delivered
• the FCC Form 486 is processed
• an approved 498ID is issued
• the service provider has filed an FCC Form 473
• the applicant has paid for services

Deadline:
no later than 120 days after the last date to receive service or 120 days after the date of the FCC Form 486 Notification Letter, whichever is later --- for most applicants, deadlines are generally the October 28 following the end of the funding year for recurring services and the January 28 following the end of the funding year for non-recurring services and one-time purchases

BEARs can be submitted monthly, quarterly, semi-annually, or at the end of the funding year.

Recurring services must be delivered during the relevant funding year (July 1 through June 30).

Non-recurring services must be delivered and installed between July 1 of the relevant funding year and September 30, following the June 30 close of that funding year.

When a BEAR is certified, USAC sends a notification that it was submitted.

applicants receive payment via direct deposit

When the BEAR has been processed, USAC issues a remittance statement.