Hello E-Rate Community,

I want to make you aware of changes in this year’s E-Rate Form 471 application review procedures. We don’t have all of the information but will share with you what we do know as of this point.

Last week, PIA (Program Integrity Assurance) reviewers started rejecting letters written by State E-Rate Coordinators nationwide where enrollment and NSLP counts were validated, without any forewarning at all. Not only is PIA rejecting newly written FY2024 validation letters, but some of the previously submitted letters as well, stating that validations from State Coordinators are no longer considered acceptable. We, the State E-Rate Coordinator’s Alliance (SECA), had a call with USAC yesterday seeking clarification. They listened to our concerns, and stated they would provide additional information “in the very near future” as to how to proceed and what documentation will be accepted moving forward. However, we were not given a firm date as to when the information will be provided. In the meantime, if you have a pending PIA inquiry, ask for an extension in the EPC portal to provide time for this issue to be resolved. The first time you request an extension, the portal will automatically grant you seven additional days. If you’ve already used the first extension request, you may request a second extension, but it may not be granted. If an extension request is denied, please email me your Billed Entity Number (BEN), your Form 471 application number/s, and the due date listed in the inquiry as soon as possible. USAC has asked that State Coordinators email this information to the regional PIA manager to request additional time to respond.

We do not anticipate that funding denials will occur because of this issue. This has been very frustrating for all of us, but at this point, all we can do is wait for a resolution from USAC.

Hello E-Rate Community,

If you were not able to file your Form 471 application by the March 27th, 2024, deadline, please know you still have options. In previous years, the FCC has been very lenient if the application is filed within 14 days of the deadline. To meet the 14-day “extension”, you should submit the form on or before Wednesday, April 10th, 2024. You will then need to submit a Request for Deadline Waiver appeal to the FCC to have your application considered as timely filed.

Please follow these steps:

1. Submit the Form 471 in EPC on or before Wednesday, April 10th, 2024. The status will be listed as “Filed Outside of Window”.
2. After submitting Form 471, download a copy of the template letter “FCC Waiver Appeal Letter” and “FCC Waiver Appeal Instructions” I’ve provided on my website at https://www.ohio-k12.help/erate/e-rate-resources/ and complete the red-highlighted areas with your specific information. Include a statement to the FCC explaining the reason for missing the deadline and what this funding means to your school or library.
3, Go to: https://www.fcc.gov/ecfs/filings and follow the instructions on the “FCC Waiver Appeal Instructions” document and upload a copy of the completed letter. Be sure to hit ‘Submit’ on the second page of the online form, and document the confirmation number. You can also choose to have it emailed to you.
Note: The FCC Waiver Letter does NOT need to be submitted by April 10th, but be sure to submit it as soon as you can after the 471 is filed so the FCC can include it in their end-of-month appeals’ decision release.

Good Morning E-Rate Community,Per USAC’s News Brief released this past Friday, The FCC announced an inflation factor of 2.2% for FY2019.Based on the new factor, the rounded calculations for FY2019 Category Two budgets are:

Schools = Number of students * $159.67

Libraries with an IMLS locale code of 11, 12, or 21 = Total square footage * $5.32

Libraries with other IMLS locale codes = Total square footage * $2.45

Budget floor = $9,793.04

When calculating your remaining Category 2 budget, remember that the Category 2 Budget Lookup Tool in EPC does not reflect commitments from FY2015.  Also, as of last weekend, the tool has not been updated to reflect the new FY 2019 budget factors.