Form 471 and BEAR Filing Guidance for Sunesys/Fibertech FRNs
February 24, 2019
Schools and libraries that have existing contracts with Sunesys or Fibertech have received notice that Crown Castle has acquired these companies. Because this change has implications for E-rate, this message is intended to provide filing guidance to our 110+ affected schools and libraries, both for FY 2019 Form 471 as well as FY 2018 BEAR reimbursements. Please refer to Item 1c below if you have already filed a FY 2019 Form 471 featuring a Sunesys or Fibertech SPIN.
- FY 2019 Form 471 Guidance for Existing Contracts with Sunesys or Fibertech
Applicants that are in existing multi-year contracts with Sunesys or Fibertech should create a new Contract Record in EPC with the new Crown Castle SPIN, and then link to that new Contract Record when completing their FY 2019 Form 471. Because the SPIN is entered one-time on the Contract Record when the original contract was signed – and not entered each year when your FRN is created on the Form 471 – and because it’s not possible to edit an existing Contract Record, the only way to file a FY 2019 application featuring the Crown Castle SPIN is to create an entirely new Contract Record in EPC, and then associate that new Contract Record when the FY 2019 FRN is created.
a. Creating New Contract Records: When creating the new Contract Record, all data should be identical to the data submitted in the original Contract Record, except the SPIN will cite the Crown Castle SPIN of 143005274. The easiest way to do this is to find the original Contract Record in EPC, and then open a new tab to create the new Contract Record that contains the Crown Castle SPIN.
Instructions for finding Contract Module in EPC:
> From your EPC Landing Page, click on the Name of School/Library under the USAC Logo.
> Select ‘Contracts’ from the top toolbar and locate the original Sunesys/Fibertech contract. Click View. Keep this Contract Record open so it will be easy to cut and paste into the new Contract Record.
> Open a New Tab in EPC by right-clicking on ‘Contracts’ in the top toolbar, selecting ‘Open link in new tab’.
> Select ‘Manage Contracts’ in the top right corner of the new page that opened.
> Select ‘Add a New Contract’.
> When creating the new nickname, be sure to give it a slightly different nickname so it will be easily recognizable when searching for it on the list. Suggestion: “2017 – WAN – Sunesys/Crown Castle” (year contract was signed – what service was for – the original vendor name and the Crown Castle name).
b. When Using Copy FRN: If applicants are using the (very cool and easy) Copy FRN Feature in the Form 471, they should be mindful that they will have to link to the new Contract Record instead of using the contract information copied over automatically from the previous year. This is done immediately after the FRN is copied, using the ‘Search for Contracts’ button at the top left corner of the Contracts Summary page.
c. Already Submitted FY 2019 Form 471s with Sunesys/Fibertech SPINs: There are 35 FRNs that have already been filed for FY 2019 featuring a Sunesys or Fibertech SPIN. These applicants should do one of the following:
- Create the new Contract Record featuring the Crown Castle SPIN (following steps in 1a) and then submit a Form 471 RAL Modification to instruct the PIA reviewer to replace the existing Sunesys Contract Record with the new Contract Record featuring the Crown Castle SPIN. Explain that Crown Castle recently purchased the company and the Contract Record citing the old SPIN was inadvertently used when creating the FRN.
- Create the new Contract Record featuring the Crown Castle SPIN (following steps in 1a), then submit a new Form 471 using the new Crown Castle Contract Record. Be sure to cancel the original FRN that cited the Sunesys SPIN. The RAL Modification feature is used to cancel the original FRN.
- Submit a Form 471 RAL Modification to instruct the PIA reviewer to correct the SPIN to Crown Castle 143005274. Explain that Crown Castle recently purchased these companies and the old SPIN is listed on the Form 471. When reviewing your application, the reviewer will create a new Contract Record on your behalf and link it to your affected FRN. While this appears to be the easiest solution for the applicant, I am concerned that this option may delay your funding commitment because USAC’s brand new BPO contractor (the team that actually reviews your applications) may not yet understand how to perform this task.
Whichever option is chosen, the RAL Modification feature must be used, which is found by locating the Form 471 in EPC, then clicking on ‘Related Actions’, then ‘RAL Modification’.
2. FY 2019 Form 471 Guidance for New Crown Castle Contracts
Applicants that have signed or will be signing new Crown Castle contracts (as a result of a FY 2019 Form 470 procurement) should create a new Contract Record in EPC under the normal procedures (explained at: http://e-ratepa.org/?p=28951), listing the Crown Castle SPIN of 143005274. No new Contract Record will ever feature a Sunesys or Fibertech SPIN.
- FY 2018 BEAR Filing Guidance for Sunesys or Fibertech FRNs
Applicants that are not receiving discounted bills and therefore will be submitting Form 472 BEARs to USAC to seek reimbursement (before the October 28, 2019 deadline) should NOT submit a SPIN Change to USAC to change to the Crown Castle SPIN. Instead, applicants should use the original SPINs listed on the Funding Commitment Decision Letter. Crown Castle will not be ‘deactivating’ those old SPINs until after this deadline.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me.
– Julie
Julie Tritt Schell
PA E-rate Coordinator
717-730-7133 – o