E-rate Year 4 Application Window Closing Soon
Message Posted January 9, 2001
The Year 4 E-rate Application Window is closing next Thursday, January 18 -- only 9 days from now. If you haven't already done so, I strongly encourage you to file your Form 471s as soon as possible. Links to very helpful tips are below... but don't forget these very important items:
1) Paper-filed applications must be postmarked (different this year) by midnight January 18, and if you are filing online (recommended), the corresponding signature/certification pages and all attachments must be postmarked by midnight as well. Just because the SLD has moved from a receipt date to a postmarked date does not mean that you should send your applications or other materials without getting a returned receipt.
2) Please don't wait until the last minute to file, as the SLD website is notoriously slow toward the end of the window as thousands of applicants are on the website at the same time.
3) Be sure you have waited at least 28 days after you posted your 470 to sign your contracts and submit your 471. You can find out when your 28 days has expired (the 29th day is your Allowable Contract Date) by either looking at your Receipt Notification Letter or by going back on the SLD website under "apply online" and then "search posted" to find your application. At the top it will show you your Allowable Contract Date, and also will let you know the date they received your 470 certification page.
4) The SLD has just informed us that only about 30% of 470 applicants have mailed their certification pages. Don't forget to do this by January 18! And again, if you want to find out when and if the SLD has received it, go to the SLD website under "apply online" and then "search posted" to find your application.
5) If your 28 days has not yet expired, you can still go online now, create your 471 and enter most of the data. When exiting, simply save your 471 application number and your security code -- the two pieces of information you'll need to get back into your partially completed application. When you know your contract signing date, vendor, spins, etc, and after your Allowable Contract date has arrived, you can go back in to your application, enter the remaining data and submit it to the SLD.
6) Be absolutely certain that the person who signs your application uses the correct date. Many applicants have had someone else quickly sign the application and they later receive a denial letter from the SLD stating that the application was signed before the 28 days had expired.
There are a few sites with helpful tips for completing your Form 471.
My tips are located on the PA E-rate website at: http://www.pde.psu.edu/usf/tipsform_471.html
The SLD also has very useful 471 Filing Guidance in their Reference Section:
Pitfalls to Avoid: http://www.sl.universalservice.org/reference/471Pit.asp (GREAT SUGGESTIONS from the SLD)
Filing Guidance: http://www.sl.universalservice.org/reference/471mps.asp
And if you're filing online, the SLD has a great Online Filing Guide at: http://www.sl.universalservice.org/reference/Onlinenav.asp
And finally, if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me at the numbers below.
-- Julie
Julie Tritt Schell
Executive Policy Specialist
Pennsylvania Department of Education
333 Market Street, 10th Floor
Harrisburg, PA 17126
(717) 705-4486
(717) 787-7222 - fax
jtritt@state.pa.us
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