Service Providers: File your FY 2017 Form 473 SPAC Form Now

May 23, 2017

Note: This information is for service providers, but applicants’ FY 2017 BEARs cannot be submitted to USAC unless their vendors’ SPACs (Form 473) have been filed with USAC for the 2017 funding year.  Therefore, applicants may wish to forward this message to your service providers (particularly local vendors that may not follow E-rate closely).  Applicants cannot file the Form 473 SPAC –  this is just a form for vendors.

The Service Provider Annual Certification Form (SPAC), Form 473,Form, must be filed each year by service providers that participate in the E-rate program and the FY 2017 SPAC functionality just became available.  This form must be certified USAC before USAC can pay invoices – Form 472 BEARs or Form 474 SPIs.

The SPAC must be filed online using the vendor e-File System (paper forms will not be accepted).  Service providers with multiple Service Provider Identification Numbers (SPINs) must file a SPAC Form for each SPIN.  A very good Form 473 Users Guide is available at: http://www.usac.org/_res/documents/sl/pdf/forms/FCC-Form-473-UserGuide.pdf.

Steps:

• To certify a SPAC Form, vendors must first log in to the e-File System (http://www.usac.org/about/tools/e-file.aspx).  If a vendor doesn’t have a username and password or are having trouble logging in, they should call USAC at (888) 641-8722 and choose option 3 (Schools and Libraries), then option 2 (service providers) for assistance.  If you have multiple SPINs, you must choose one of them (“set your SPIN”) from the list of your SPINs.
• After you set your SPIN, you will see SPAC Form as an option in the left-hand menu.
• The form will pre-populate much of the information required based on your identity as a user. If you notice that the contact information in your E-File System profile (not your EPC profile) does not populate correctly, you can exit the FCC Form 473, correct your E-File profile information, and then re-enter your form.
• The dropdown in the form that lists funding years will only show funding years for which a SPAC Form has not yet been filed, making your choice easier.
• Immediately after the SPAC Form is certified for any funding year – including FY 2017 – the appropriate funding year will appear in the Search for SPIN Tool (http://www.sl.universalservice.org/Forms/SPIN_Contact_Search.asp) on the USAC website.

Julie Tritt Schell
PA E-rate Coordinator
717-730-7133 – o
717-730-9060 – f
jtschell@comcast.net
www.e-ratepa.org

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