[OPLINTECH] eRate Form 470 now available

Fri Jul 10 10:28:56 EDT 2015

Hi all,

As you may remember from my previous email, EPC is the new system for filing eRate. Form 470 (the first step in the eRate process) is now available. Instructions are in the email below. If you're considering purchasing new equipment or implementing services for any of the following categories in the next eRate year (July 1 2016-June 30 2017), start thinking about Form 470 now.

  *   Broadband over Power Lines
  *   Cable Modem
  *   Digital Subscriber Line (DSL)
  *   DS-1 (T-1), DS-3 (T-3), and Fractional T-1 or T-3
  *   Ethernet
  *   Leased Lit Fiber
  *   Dark Fiber
  *   Multi-Protocol Label Switching (MPLS)
  *   Satellite Service

  *   Access points used in a local area network (LAN) or wireless local area network (WLAN) environment (such as wireless access points)
  *   Antennas, cabling, connectors, and related components used for internal broadband connections
  *   Caching
  *   Firewall services and components separate from basic firewall protection provided as a standard component of a vendor's Internet access service.
  *   Switches
  *   Routers
  *   Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS)/Battery Backup
  *   Wireless controller systems
  *   Software supporting the components on this list used to distribute high-speed broadband throughout school buildings and libraries

A full draft of eligible services is available from the FCC here: https://apps.fcc.gov/edocs_public/index.do?document=333594

>From USAC:

EPC Update - FY2016 FCC Form 470 Now Available

Applicants can now file the FY2016 FCC Form 470 in the E-rate Productivity Center (EPC).

The FY2015 FCC Form 470 has been removed from the USAC website. From this point forward, you must file the FCC Form 470 through EPC.

There are some significant changes from past years that you should keep in mind as you start planning for the FY2016 application process:

1. The form is only available online.

There will no longer be a paper version of the FCC Form 470 or a paper version of the FCC Form 470 instructions.

Any necessary instructions are built into the online experience. There will be user guides available both inside and outside of EPC to help applicants complete their forms. A series of videos is also available from the USAC website to guide users through the process.

2. Filing through EPC provides an enhanced applicant experience and simplifies the application process.

Some of these enhancements include:

  *   Your billed entity information - including address and contact information, attributes for the schools in a school district or libraries in a library system, and other pertinent data - is pulled into the form from the entity information in EPC. You can manage this information and make any corrections before you file your form.
  *   The form leads you through the application process in a way that allows you to meet any necessary requirements. For example, if you are filing for self-construction of fiber, you are reminded to file for both managed service and self-construction as required by program rules.
  *   Requests for Proposal (RFPs) or other documents that further describe the services are uploaded directly into the online form so that potential bidders can have immediate access to these documents.
  *   Before you submit your form, you can review and print a PDF version of your draft form. You can then make any edits before signing and certifying the form.
  *   Applicants can sign the form electronically. The account administrator at the BEN can determine who has authority to electronically sign the form. No more waiting for PINs to arrive in the mail!

3. All applicants will sign and certify the form online before it is posted to the USAC website.

Because all applicants can now designate the users that can sign forms electronically on their behalf, the forms must be signed and certified before USAC starts the 28-day waiting period. If the user who creates the form does not also have the authority to sign it, the form will automatically be routed to those users within your organization who do.

4. Your receipt notification will appear in your EPC News feed immediately after you submit your form.

USAC will no longer issue a paper FCC Form 470 Receipt Notification Letter. If you have made any ministerial or clerical errors you need to correct, you can submit the corrections through EPC.

5. Service providers will be able to view filed FCC Forms 470 either through EPC or through the USAC website.

EPC will have a search and download function that will allow service providers with accounts to set search criteria for filed FCC Forms 470 and view the results of their searches. The form data from the search results can also be downloaded as a set of .CSV files. Service providers will also be able to view PDF versions of FY2016 FCC Forms (and print preview versions of FY2015 forms) along with any associated RFP documents from the FCC Form 470 tools on the Search Tools<http://www.usac.org/sl/tools/default.aspx> page.

6. If you filed your form using the FY2015 version of the form, you will still be able to access your form.

  *   If you filed an FY2015 FCC Form 470 intended for FY2016, you can still certify your form on the Apply Online page. However, if you started a form but did not push the Submit button, you will not be able to retrieve and complete your work.
  *   You can cite an FY2015 FCC Form 470 on an FY2016 FCC Form 471 without penalty.

To file your FY2016 FCC Form 470, go to the E-rate Productivity Center<http://www.usac.org/sl/tools/e-rate-productivity-center/default.aspx> and click the Log In button near the top of the page.

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Mandy Knapp
Library Consultant
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Columbus, OH 43201
Tel: 614-466-1710
Toll Free:800-686-1532 (Ohio Only)
Fax: 614-466-3584
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