Guide to Completing the FY 2017 Form 486 in EPC

July 10, 2017

Attached: Form 486 Filing Guide – FY 2017

~ FY 2017 Form 486 is now available ~
~ Can only be filed after receiving your FCDL ~
~ Be VERY careful when checking the CIPA Certifications! ~

After you have received notice that your FY 2017 E-rate funding has been committed and you have logged-in to EPC and “Generated” your Funding Commitment Decision Letter (FCDL), the next step is to file the Form 486.  The FY 2017 Form 486 can only be filed in your EPC portal.  If you are requesting discounted bills from your service provider, you MUST submit the Form 486 before discounted billing can begin.

The Form 486 has two basic functions:

a) It informs the SLD and your vendor that USAC is authorized to pay invoices (either BEAR or SPIFs), and
b) It informs the SLD that your school or library is CIPA compliant.

Deadline to Submit Form:  120 days from funding commitment decision letter date, or October 28, 2017, whichever is later.

What’s New on the FY 2017 Form 486:  The FY 2017 Form 486 is identical to FY 2016 which is great news.  The FRNs are already pre-populated and only relevant CIPA certifications appear based on your entity type.  Attached is a quick guide to the new form that I encourage you to keep handy as you’re completing the 486.  It explains what to click and not click to make the form even easier to navigate.

Caution:  When checking the certification boxes, don’t get click happy!  Only check the 1st CIPA certification, and not the last two.  If you check one of the last two, it unchecks the first certification and your application will be held for months until USAC reaches out to you to determine if you meant to report you weren’t CIPA compliant.

If you have any questions as you are completing this form, please contact me at jtschell@comcast.net.  Happy Filing!

– Julie

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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