FY 2017 Form 471 Window and Admin Window Dates Announced
February 3, 2016
Admin Window: Open Now – February 26
Form 471 Window: February 27 – May 11
We have the dates! USAC has just announced the FY 2017 window dates and thus, your E-rate Timetable can be set. Here’s what you should be doing and by when:
Administrative Window – From now until February 26 – only about 3 weeks, public and nonpublic schools should go into their EPC profiles to update their enrollment/NSLP data and obtain E-rate entity numbers for any new schools or non-instructional facilities. Likewise, if libraries have any changes to their square footage or library buildings, they should make those changes by February 26 as well. I’ll send a separate message soon with the Oct 2016 Enrollment/NSLP data and screenshots on how to perform this task in EPC. After February 26, this data will be locked down and cannot be edited.
Form 470s – If you haven’t yet posted your Form 470 for services that must be competitively bid for FY 2017, you still have some time to do so, although not much. Although the Form 471 deadline isMay 11 and therefore the last possible date to file the Form 470 is April 13, you should plan to have your Form 470s posted no later than March 1. This will give you April to evaluate bids and obtain board approval at their April meetings. Please see http://e-ratepa.org/?p=16731 for information on filing the Form 470.
Form 471s – Although the Form 471 deadline is May 11, I strongly encourage you to file early in the Form 471 window, if possible. For contracts that have already been signed, MTM services where vendors have been selected, or multi-year contracts signed in previous years, filing when the window opens is a great idea to be at the top of the list when they review applications. Regardless, please try to avoid filing your 471 in May, as this will be when the most EPC technical hiccups may occur.
If you have any questions about the window filing dates, please let me know!
Happy EPC Updating!
– Julie
Julie Tritt Schell
PA E-rate Coordinator
717-730-7133 – o
717-730-9060 – f
jtschell@comcast.net
www.e-ratepa.org
Penn*link