Hi folks,

My apologies in advance for the length of the message!

IF YOU FILE AN FCC FORM 472 (BEAR FORM) FOR E-RATE REIMBURSEMENT, PLEASE READ THIS MESSAGE!!

Some of you may have already registered with SAM.gov to obtain a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number. For example, if you applied for the LSTA tech grant this cycle, you had to have a UEI instead of the DUNS number that you’ve used in the past. This is due to an FCC requirement. For those of you who applied for the Emergency Connectivity Funds (ECF), you also had to register with SAM.gov and should have a UEI.

Please see below about important updates coming from now until the end of the fiscal year regarding new requirements for FCC Form 498 forms. This is the form you use to provide banking information for automatic deposits to be made when requesting reimbursements via the BEAR form. Please note that if you receive your discounts via your service provider (through a discounted bill – also known as the SPI invoicing method), this will not affect you. I’ve highlighted and underlined important information from the USAC News Brief of note below.

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Coming Soon: UEI Required on FCC Form 498 for Applicants

On April 6, 2022, the FCC released a Public Notice (DA-22-371) announcing that the General Services Administration's SAM.gov will transition from the use of the Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number to the SAM.gov assigned Unique Entity Identifier (UEI). In the September 15, 2022 E-Rate News Brief, USAC announced that all service providers receiving funding through the universal service programs will be required to obtain and use a UEI when making changes to their existing or submitting a new FCC Form 498.

USAC will soon require all E-Rate applicants with a 498 ID (i.e., that use the billed entity applicant reimbursement (BEAR) method for reimbursement) to obtain and use the SAM.gov UEI when making changes to their existing or submitting a new FCC Form 498. E-Rate applicants that do not currently have a 498 ID or only uses, or will only use, the service provider invoicing (SPI) method for reimbursement, are not required to register in SAM.gov to obtain a UEI.

In the second quarter of 2023 (i.e., between April and June 2023), USAC will update the FCC Form 498 for all E-Rate applicants to require entities to have an active UEI to submit a new FCC Form 498 or modify their existing FCC Form 498 if they will be using the BEAR method of reimbursement. After this deployment, the FCC Form 498 system will only accept the applicant's UEI if the following criteria are met:

SAM.gov registration for your entity is active.
Employer Identification Number (EIN) for the UEI matches the EIN for the FCC Registration Number; and
EIN for the UEI matches the EIN on the FCC Form 498.

The update of the FCC Form 498 will only affect E-Rate applicants that must submit a new FCC Form 498 or revise their current FCC Form 498, after the deployment date.

Next Steps
After the deployment, E-Rate program applicants who need to revise their existing or submit a new FCC Form 498 will need to complete their full entity registration in SAM.gov to obtain a UEI.

If you are already registered in SAM.gov, you have a UEI. To find your UEI, log into SAM.gov and select the Entity Management widget in your Workspace or log in and search Entity Information. Please ensure that your SAM.gov registration is active and the EIN for your UEI, the FCC Registration Number, and the FCC Form 498 numbers match. Once you have completed these steps, add your UEI to your FCC Form 498 ID. Entities' registrations in SAM.gov require annual renewal or the accounts will be deactivated. Please ensure that your organization annually renews its SAM.gov registration prior to the expiration date listed in your entity's record in SAM.gov.

If you are not registered in SAM.gov, you will need to register and allow up to six weeks for the registration to be completed for SAM.gov. Once you register with SAM.gov, you will be automatically assigned a UEI and can add your UEI to your FCC Form 498 ID. Even if you don't need to modify your FCC Form 498 ID immediately, you should go ahead and complete your SAM.gov registration as early as possible, so that you have your UEI when it is required to be used during the second quarter of 2023. USAC will announce the exact timing for this transition in a future News Brief.

If you need help obtaining a UEI or have additional questions, please contact USAC's Customer Service Center, Contributors/Service Providers option, at (888) 641-8722 or visit SAM.gov for additional information on how to obtain a UEI or register your entity.

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So, how will this affect BEAR form users? Let’s have a little Q&A!

Q. I file a BEAR form. How can I double check the banking information on my current FCC Form 498 to be sure it’s accurate?

A: If you want to double check the current information listed on your FCC Form 498, you can log into your EPC portal and review it. Once you are logged into the EPC portal and are on your Applicant Landing Page, you’ll select the Records tab from across the top and then select the FCC Forms 498 option. From here, you can click on any existing FCC Form 498 associated with your entity or select the Modify button to make changes.

Please note that, if you make changes or need to create a new FCC Form 498 (to provide new banking information), you will likely have to submit required documents to USAC (they will contact you) so they can verify all the information and approve the FCC Form 498.

Q. What is the timeline for this transition?

A: In the above News Brief announcement, USAC says they will begin the transition during this quarter, and it should be completed by June 2023. After that ‘deployment date’, applicants needing to modify or file for a new FCC Form 498 will be required to have a UEI.

Q. If I need to file a new FCC Form 498 or make changes to my existing banking information after the deployment date, how do I know which EIN to use when I register on SAM.gov?

A: If your library is a city or county library and the municipality controls (holds) your finances, you would use their EIN when registering on SAM.gov. Another example – if you are a 501(C)3 library and your library board handles all your bookkeeping, you would use your own EIN.

Basically, if the reimbursement you request will be going to an account held by a city or county governmental entity, you would use their EIN. **You will want to verify with your city or county finance departments that you have the correct EIN before you begin a SAM.gov registration.

Here is the advice USAC provides:

“Verify your Federal EIN

In general, schools and libraries already have a Federal Employer Identification Number (EIN) or taxpayer identification number (Tax ID). If the billed entity is not the school or library – for example, if a town, county, Tribal or federal government files program forms on behalf of a library that does not control its own finances – the EIN of the appropriate agency should be provided.”

Q. How much time does it take to register on SAM.gov and get a UEI?

A: You want to be sure to give yourself enough time to obtain a UEI through SAM.gov registration, as it may take up to six weeks for the registration to finalize.

As always, should you have questions, please feel free to contact me (off-list, please).

Kindly,

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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