E-rate Form 471 Application Filing Window Opens

The Form 471 application filing window for Funding Year 2014 opened today at noon EST and will close at 11:59 pm EDT on Wednesday, March 26, 3014.

This makes February 26, 2014 the last POSSIBLE date to post a Form 470 on USAC’s website, meet the 28-day posting requirement for the competitive bidding process, and submit a Form 471 by the filing window closing date.

IMPORTANT: Before you file your Form 471, check your Form 470 Receipt Notification Letter for your Allowable Contract Date. Do not submit your 471 before that date. Remember, after you submit your Form 470, you must wait 28 days to submit your Form 471. Your Form 470 Receipt Notification Letter tells you the first date you are allowed to submit your 471 – that is your Allowable Contract Date. Note: This Letter will be mailed to you and is on blue paper for the 2014 Funding Year. So, do you need help completing your forms? Do you have questions about E-rate? You’re in luck! The recording and presentation slides of December’s “E-rate: Basic Training for Funding Year 2014” online session are available. Description: What is E-rate? How can my library benefit from E-rate? How do I apply for E-rate? E-rate is a federal program that provides discounts to assist schools and libraries in the United States to obtain affordable telecommunications and Internet access. Christa Burns, State E-rate Coordinator for Libraries, will cover the basics of E-rate and any changes that have been made to the program for Funding Year 2014. This session will be useful to libraries who have never applied for E-rate, libraries who are new to E-rate and current E-rate libraries who just want a refresher on what E-rate is all about. Also, the WebJunction webinar, “E-rate: Form 471 and Beyond!“, has very good instructions, tips and tricks for submitting your Form 471. I recommend viewing the archived webinar and its PowerPoint presentation and related links, too. If you have any questions or need any assistance with your E-rate forms, please contact Christa Burns, 800-307-2665, 402-471-3107.