ECF Reimbursement Form Now Available

October 1, 2021

For applicants that have been funded for the Emergency Connectivity Fund (ECF) and have received the approved equipment, you may now submit the Form 472 ECF BEAR Reimbursement Form.  You also may now seek reimbursement of services, but because only a few months of services will likely have been delivered, and because you can’t request reimbursement for services that have not yet been received, most applicants will be submitting the BEAR reimbursement forms in July 2022 after they receive the June 2022 invoice.

Pre-Payment Option:  Note, if you wish to seek pre-payment from USAC, the BEAR Form will give you that option.  For those electing pre-payment, equipment/services must be delivered prior to submitting the Form 472 BEAR.  USAC will then issue payment to the applicant, and the applicant will have 30 calendar days to remit payment to the vendor.  The applicant must then upload proof to USAC that the vendor has been paid.  This is a good option if you can’t afford to pay out of pocket and then await USAC reimbursement.

Brief instructions for accessing the ECF Form 472 BEAR are at the bottom of this message.  The ECF Form 472 BEAR filing guide is available at:  http://e-ratepa.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/ECF-Form-472-BEAR-Reimbursement-Filing-Guide-updated-Dec-2021.pdf.

A few items:

– You must submit a vendor invoice with your BEAR request that supports the approved amount, approved service or equipment, same vendor listed on the Form 471, and lists dates that equipment or service was delivered (must be between July 1, 2021 – June 30, 2022 for Windows 1 or 2  purchases).

– You must submit 3rd party proof of equipment shipping or delivery, showing equipment was shipped or delivered on or after July 1, 2021 (for Windows 1 or 2 purchases).

– You may submit a reimbursement request after receiving equipment but before it’s been distributed, but you will be certifying that it will be distributed to those with unmet needs, and that you are not seeking reimbursement for equipment/services that will not be used.

– You can only seek reimbursement if your SAM.gov registration is up to date. Note:  This is only required if you indicated on your 471 that you would be using the Form 472 BEAR method to invoice USAC.

Accessing the ECF Form 472 BEAR:

1. Login to One Portal at: https://forms.universalservice.org/portal/loginThe.
2. Select the ECF Portal option (3^rd on the list).  Note:  the second option says FCC Form 472 BEAR, but this option is only for E-rate BEARs, not ECF BEARs.

3. From your ECF Dashboard, click Actions (far right), then select the “File ECF FCC Form 472/BEAR” to enter the form.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

– Julie

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