Hi folks!

I know this is a very busy time for you all, but I wanted to remind you about Summer in E-Rate Land! This is that time of year where we have 3 funding years going simultaneously - finishing up the fiscal year that just ended, moving along with the current fiscal year, and getting ready to file for the next fiscal year. This can be a confusing season but hopefully, this will help with that confusion. I’ve attached a flow chart for the visual learners (that’s me)!

Let’s go through it in order:

Funding Year 2020 (FY 2020 -2021) (Form 472)

Our first stop is finishing up with Funding Year 2020 (Fiscal Year 2020/ 2021). For those who do not receive a discounted bill for your services, the last thing for you to do is to file your FCC Form 472 (BEAR) in order to get your reimbursement. You’ll need a copy of your funding commitment decision letter (FCDL) and copies of your actual bills for the fiscal year for which you’re filing.

Using the new BEAR Form Access Tool

Remember, USAC has recently removed the PIN requirement to file BEAR forms. From the News Brief issued July 9^th, BEAR form filers will now utilize the BEAR Access Tool to file the BEAR form. *Please refer to the news brief article highlighted in this message or to the information I sent out on July 12^th for details about the deployment of the new tool as well as valuable troubleshooting information.

BEAR form filers will access this new tool by logging into their One Portal account (using the same email address as you’ve used to file past BEAR forms) along with the multifactor authentication two-step verification process as you usually would.

Once logged into your One Portal dashboard, you should see the option to click on the “FCC Form 472 (BEAR)” portal. Selecting this option will take you to a screen that looks similar to the old BEAR filing system login page. Here, you should see your email address (auto-filled) and a blank space for you to enter the BEN (billed entity number) for which you’re requesting reimbursement. It will look like this:

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From here, you just enter in the library’s BEN (billed entity number) for which you are requesting reimbursement and it will take you into the system that looks very similar to the old system for filing BEAR forms.

Need to find a copy of your FCDL? You can pull it up in the EPC Portal at the top of your landing page. Just log into your One Portal account (using the multifactor authentication process) and click on the E-Rate Productivity Center (EPC) program to access your landing page. Scroll down to the middle of the page to Notifications and use the drop-down menu to select your FCDL for the funding year you need.
Don’t have a copy of your bills? You’ve got time to pull them together, or if you know (really know) that all of your charges are eligible, you can work off of a total.

Please keep in mind that if you paid more than what you put down as your pre-discount total (it’s in your FCDL), you can only ask for the maximum that you were funded. If you didn’t pay as much as you were funded, then you can only ask to be reimbursed for the amount you paid.

The deadline for filing Form 472 is 120 days past your service end date OR 120 days after the date of the FCC Form 486 Notification Letter (for most of you with a service end date of June 30, 2021, it will be October 28th).

Funding Year 2021 (FY 2021-2022) (Form 486)

Next is Funding Year 2021 (Fiscal Year 2021/2022) – our current fiscal year. If you have already received your FCDL for this funding year, your next step is to file Form 486, which you access in your EPC portal via your One Portal dashboard. You’ll need your FCDL, and your portal login to file this form.

Don’t have a FCDL yet? No worries, funding waves are still coming out.
Don’t have a portal login? You can call the SLD helpdesk at 888-203-8100, and they can set you up with one.

The deadline for this form is 120 days after your service start date or your FCDL date, whichever is later. So, if you received your FCDL before July 1 and your service start date is July 1, your deadline is October 28^th. If you received your FCDL after July 1, you can calculate your deadline by going here - https://www.usac.org/sl/tools/deadlines/Default.aspx , and clicking on FCC Form 486 on the left side of the screen. Just input your FCDL date on the left calendar, and your service start date on the right and click calculate.

Funding Year 2022 (FY 2022-2023) (Form 470)

Finally, we’re at Funding Year 2022 (Fiscal Year 2022/2023). We’re starting the cycle again with Form 470, which is the first form – and it became available on July 1^st!

This is also a great time to check your library information in your portal, to be sure that everything you need is in there. Keep in mind, they will lock your profile once the Form 471 opens, so you have a limited time for updates!

Form 470 is about setting the stage – no vendor or pricing information is needed. This is about generalities. What kind of service are you looking for? Will you be looking at just category 1 or category 2 services as well?

There’s no deadline for this form yet. That won’t be set until Form 471 is released. Keep in mind, there must be a minimum of 28 days between filing Form 470 and Form 471, so you can count back from the last day that Form 471 can be submitted to 28 days before that for the deadline for Form 470.

Questions, questions, and more questions…

What’s a discounted bill?

You can set up with your internet provider to automatically deduct your E-Rate discount from your monthly bill (SPI invoicing method). If you have that set up, then you don’t have to file Form 472 for that service.

It’s already time to file Form 470?

You can if you want to -and you’re ready (you know which category and what services you want for the next fiscal year). There’s no rush – you have plenty of time to be thinking and make your plans. The deadline for the 470 hasn’t been announced yet but will likely be sometime in January/February. So, now is the time to plan for next year!

If you have questions, and you’re in the regional system, you can reach out to your Regional Assistant Director. I’m also available for questions as well - just contact me off-list, please.

Happy Summer!

Liz

Liz Thigpen Schreck | Director

Ocoee River Regional Library

State E-rate Coordinator for Public Libraries

Office of Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett

718 George St., NW, Athens, TN 37303

P. (423) 745-5194 – office; (423) 649-1583 - direct

Regional Toll Free - (855) 692-8186

Fax (423) 649-1501

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