FY 2019 Form 471 Filing Window Dates Announced

December 22, 2018

Attached: E-rate Timeline FYs 2017-2019

Attached: FY 2019 Filing Deadline Chart visual

Admin Window: Open Now – January 15
Form 471 Window:  January 16 – March 27

We have the dates!  USAC has just announced the FY 2019 window dates and thus, your E-rate timetable can be set.  Attached are two graphics to help you keep track of the dates the funding year (one shows Funding Years 2017 – 2019 and the other shows the progression of just Funding Year 2019), and here’s what you should be doing and by when:

Administrative Window – From now until January 15, public and nonpublic schools should go into their EPC profiles to update their enrollment/NSLP data and obtain E-rate entity numbers for any new schools or non-instructional facilities.  Likewise, if libraries have any changes to their square footage or library buildings, they should make those changes by January 15 as well.  After this date, the EPC profile data will be locked down and cannot be edited.  The Guide to Updating EPC Profiles and draft enrollment/NSLP data is available at: https://e-ratepa.org/?p=28241.

Form 470s – If you haven’t yet posted your Form 470 for services that must be competitively bid for FY 2019, you still have some time to do so, although not much.  Although the Form 471 deadline is March 27, and therefore the last possible date to file the Form 470 is February 27, applicants – especially public schools — should have your 470’s released as soon as you return from the holiday break so you can take the contracts to your February board meeting(s) for approval.  Although with the later window close, you do have a little breathing room to take the contracts to your March board meetings (as long as the meetings are early in the month).

PEPPM Mini-Bids – Reminder:  If you’re using the PEPPM mini-bid procurement option, those mini-bids cannot be sent to PEPPM vendors until at least January 2.  The PEPPM Vendor/Category List will be posted at https://e-ratepa.org/?page_id=6121 on or before that date.

Form 471s – Although the Form 471 deadline is March 27, I encourage everyone to file as early as possible in the Form 471 window.  For contracts that have already been signed, MTM services where vendors have been selected, or multi-year contracts signed in previous years, filing when the window opens is a great idea to be at the top of the list when they review applications.

If you have any questions about the window filing dates, please let me know.

Best wishes for a warm and peaceful holiday, my E-rate friends!

— Julie

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