ECF FY 2021 BEAR Deadline Next Monday!

October 23, 2023

Attached: ECF PA FY 2021 BEAR – No Disbursement as of Oct 22 2023

Attached: ECF Form 472 BEAR Filing Guide as of Oct 2023

~ Please take action if you’re on the attached list ~

~ No ability to request extension ~

The deadline to file a FY 2021 (Windows 1 and 2) Emergency Connectivity Fund (ECF) reimbursement request is next Monday, October 30, 2023.  There is no option to seek an extension from USAC, so this hard deadline is extremely important.

Attached is a list of all approved FY 2021 ECF Funding Requests (Windows 1 and 2) that indicated on the ECF Form 471 that they would pay the vendor and then submit an ECF Form 472 BEAR, and where no funding has been disbursed as of today.  If you already submitted your BEAR, disregard this message (their data only tells me if funding has been disbursed, not whether a BEAR is pending).  If your school or library’s name is on this list and you haven’t already submitted your BEAR, please take action immediately to gather the required documentation and submit the ECF Form 472 BEAR.  An ECF Form 472 BEAR Filing Guide is attached and provides detailed screenshots for logging in to the ECF Portal and completing the BEAR.

Reminders: 

1) These documents must be uploaded when the BEAR is submitted:

– Vendor Invoice

– Proof of shipping or delivery (for equipment)

– Service delivery dates (for services)

2) The last date to receive equipment or service for FY 2021 was June 30, 2023 (unless you were one of a small number of applicants approved for special construction funding).

What Happens if Your BEAR is Reduced or Denied after the October 30 deadline?  If your timely-filed request for reimbursement is denied or reduced after the reimbursement deadline, you have a short window to appeal to USAC.  You must submit your appeal within 30 calendar days from the date of your BEAR invoice decision.  If approved, you will have 60 days from the appeal approval decision to resubmit your ECF reimbursement request.  Note:  You cannot appeal to USAC if you miss the October 30 deadline.

Please don’t wait until the last minute to file this form because ECF invoicing review is much more challenging than E-rate invoice reviews and the reviewers almost always seek additional information before the BEAR can be paid.

If you have any questions, please contact me at jtschell@comcast.net or contact the ECF Customer Service Center (CSC) at (800) 234-9781 or create a Customer Case in your ECF portal.

– Julie

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