E-rate: Form 470 Deadline and Online Training Archives

Just a reminder…Thursday, February 14 is the deadline to submit the first form in the E-rate process, Form 470, for the upcoming 2013 Funding Year. The filing window for submitting the second form in the process, Form 471, opened at noon EST on Wednesday, December 12, 2012, and will close at 11:59 PM EDT on Thursday, March 14, 2013. This makes February 14, 2013 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. If you are filing on paper, USAC will make every effort to post your form by February 14 if they receive it by February 7. Whether filing online or on paper, the applicant is responsible for meeting the 28-day posting requirement. 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 2013” online session is 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 this year. 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. If you have any questions or need any assistance with your E-rate forms, please contact Christa Burns, 800-307-2665, 402-471-3107.