Next Step?  Review Your Submitted Data/Make Corrections

March 26, 2021

Attached: Incomplete 471s as of COW

Attached: Simple Data – FRNs Submitted In Window

Attached: Detailed Data – Applications Submitted In Window

Congratulations to the 933 PA schools and libraries that submitted their FY 2021 Form 471s by midnight last night!  Outstanding job, everyone!

For the E-rate data junkies among us, here’s a breakdown of our stats:

• Total PA E-rate Requests: $69,827,232.83 ($61,223,923.22 in FY 2020 and $65M in FY 2019)
• 2299 Total FRNs (2553 in FY 2020 and 2456 in FY 2019)
• 1565 Form 471s (1702 in FY 2020 and 1629 in FY 2019)
• Filed by 889 PA entities (933 ‘in window’ last year – 941 total)

• Category 1:  $36,124,973 ($36,024,408 in FY 2020 and $37,594,810 in FY 2019)
• Category 1 Form 471s:  1067 (1095 in FY 2020)
• Category 1 FRNs:  1448 (1404 in FY 2020)
• Average Category 1 Discount:  68%

• Category 2:  $33,702,259 ($25,238,069 in FY 2020 and $27,700,025 in FY 2019)
• Category 2 Form 471s: 498 (645 in FY 2020)
• Category 2 FRNs:  851 (820 in FY 2020)
• Average Category 2 Discount: 67%

• Nationwide:  35,577 Form 471s were submitted, requesting $3,020,928,561.03.  By comparison, 38,207 Form 471s were submitted in FY 2020, requesting $2.908B.  35,931 were submitted in FY 2019, requesting $2.895B.

What are the next immediate steps? 

1. If You Missed the Form 471 Deadline:  I will be sending a separate message to explain what to do if you missed yesterday’s Form 471 filing deadline. 
2. Discard Unwanted 471s:  Attached is a list of Form 471s that were started and then not submitted.  If your name is on the list and you don’t intend to submit it, I recommend that you discard the form so the EPC system doesn’t continue to send you annoying reminders.  To do this, log into EPC, find the incomplete in your Tasks tab at the top of the page, click on the Task, then click ‘Discard Form’ in the bottom left corner of the page.  Note:  The list does not include nonpublic schools because I don’t have access to that data.
3. Review Your Submitted Data:  Attached are two Excel files.  The first is a simple (one-tab) file showing all FRNs submitted by the window deadline on March 25, including the current status of your application.  The second is a very detailed (5-tabs) file that shows every piece of data submitted on the Form 471 by March 25, including FRN Line Items, Recipients of Service, Discount Calculations, etc.  Please open one of these files, filter by your entity’s name, and make sure that your data is accurate (hint: if you want to download a PDF of your application, click on the hyperlinked 471 # in the Basic Information tab of the detailed file).  If you need to make any corrections to the data you may do so by using the RAL Modification Process up until the date you receive your Funding Commitment Decision Letter (FCDL), however with PIA reviews happening so quickly this year, it’s very important that any corrections/changes be made ASAP so the PIA reviewers can have them in-hand during their review.   Note:  You can also use the RAL to add an FRN or increase your funding request, but you will be asked to show documentation dated prior to the date you certified your Form 471 to substantiate the request.

A RAL Modification Guide and Instructions are available at:  http://e-ratepa.org/?p=33127.  The RAL Modification Process also should be used if you wish to cancel an FRN or an entire Form 471.

1. Prepare for PIA Review:  USAC’s PIA (Program Integrity Assurance) Team is busy reviewing applications and if they have questions or need additional information, they’ll reach out to you via e-mail.  The e-mail will contain a link to the PIA Inquiry but before you can see their questions, you must first log into EPC, THEN click on the link in the e-mail.  Then click on “Respond to Inquiries” in the top right corner of the page, then click on the name of the inquiry (it will be hyperlinked).  Complete instructions for navigating the PIA Review Process can be found at:  http://e-ratepa.org/?p=33101.
2. When Will USAC Begin Issuing FY 2021 Funding Commitment Decisions?  I expect the first wave of funding commitment letters to be issued around mid-late April.  FCDLs are released on a weekly basis until all applications have been decided, with a goal of releasing all FCDLs by September 1.

Congratulations, E-raters!  I’m so so proud of you!

– Julie

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