Navigating the PIA Application Review Process
February 27, 2026
~ 40% of submitted FRNs already are in “Wave Ready” Status! ~
~ Don’t Delay! File Your Form 471 Now! ~
~ PIA Review Guide Available ~ PIA Review Guide FY2026
Congratulations to the 330 PA schools and libraries that have already submitted their FY 2026 Form 471s! Many applicants have already received PIA inquiries. This message explains the PIA review process and how to access them. If you haven’t submitted your Form 471 yet, please do so ASAP. The deadline is April 1, 2026.
The Program Integrity Assurance (PIA) process is a detailed USAC review of each Form 471 to determine whether the products and services requested are eligible for E-Rate funding, whether you complied with the competitive bidding requirements, whether your requested discount rate is valid, whether you have stayed within your Category 2 budget, and whether you are an eligible entity. Not everyone receives a PIA inquiry, and receiving an inquiry doesn’t necessarily mean there is a problem with your application. A PIA Review Guide that includes screenshots of the EPC PIA inquiry pages is available at: PIA Review Guide FY2026
How it Works:
- All PIA inquiries are done in EPC, and all applicant responses to these inquiries must be submitted via EPC.
- When the PIA team has a question, an email is sent to the Form 471 contact that contains a link to the actual PIA inquiry(s) in EPC.
- Before clicking on the link in the e-mail, first sign in to EPC. Then:
> Click on the link in the e-mail
> Select “Respond to Inquiries” at the top right corner of the PIA Inquiry Page, which will then turn the Inquiry Name into an active blue hyperlink
> Click the hyperlink to display the list of questions. You must respond to all questions in the inquiry at the same time.
- Often, there is a long list of questions in the PIA inquiry. If a question is not applicable, but the text box will not allow you to proceed without an answer, simply list N/A. You can also always use the narrative box at the bottom to explain your answer.
- If you are unclear about the questions being asked, you may email the PIA reviewer to request clarification. Use the e-mail address that was listed at the bottom of the original PIA reviewer’s message.
- If you ever want to check and see if there are any outstanding PIA inquiries for your organization, go to the Pending Inquiries section at the top of the EPC Landing Page. All “users” in the organization can see and respond to all inquiries, even if they are not the contact for that form. This is a great feature, so non-Form 471 contacts can see the questions other users in their organization are asking, including consultants.
Deadline to Reply: These are serious inquiries that must be addressed in a timely fashion. PIA inquiries typically provide 15-day deadlines for responses, but I encourage you to respond as soon as you receive the e-mail. The sooner you respond, the sooner you’ll receive your E-Rate FCDL. If you haven’t responded to the PIA inquiry within 7 days of the initial request, PIA will send you a reminder. If you haven’t responded after 15 days, USAC may act on the information they already have to make a funding decision (which typically means denial).
Need an Extension? You can request a 7-day extension of the original deadline if you need more time. To do so, access your PIA Inquiry in EPC, choose Related Actions, then Request Extension. The first extension request will be automatically granted. If you still need more time, you may request an additional extension, but you must have a really good reason for needing an extension.
Form 471 Status? Want to know the status of your submitted Form 471? A high-level status is available in your submitted Form 471 in the top toolbar. But for a more granular status that’s updated nightly, use the USAC FRN Status Tool in Open Data: E-Rate-FRN-Status-Tool-FY2016-/8xzh-ytkh – simply filter by FY 2026 and your Billed Entity Number. To see the status of all Form 471s submitted in PA, select FY 2026 and PA (instead of your BEN).
If you have questions about the PIA review process, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Sincerely,
Lorrie
Lorrie Germann
Pennsylvania E-Rate Coordinator
717-576-2737 – o
lgermann@e-ratepa.org
www.e-ratepa.org