FY2026 Form 471 Filing Tips

March 19, 2026

~ So far, 1075 FRNs filed by 555 PA applicants ~
I know many of you are working hard on your Form 471s to get them filed by the Wednesday, April 1st, deadline. Several last-minute, important notes:

  1. If you cannot make the April 1st deadline, you may file a late (“out of window”) Form 471 and seek a waiver from the FCC. As long as the Form 471 is filed on or before April 15, 2026, the FCC is likely to approve your waiver request and instruct USAC to treat your application as timely filed. You MUST have the Form 471 filed by April 15, and then you can submit the waiver request after that. I will be sending a waiver letter template and FCC waiver filing instructions after the Form 471 deadline.
  2.  Be sure to review the Form 471 step-by-step filing guides at  https://e-ratepa.org/?page_id=745.
  3. If you need help with Bid Evaluations, Contract Records, Submitting Form 471s, Modifying or Cancelling Form 471s, be sure to refer to the helpful guides at:  https://e-ratepa.org/?page_id=754.
  4. How to Categorize Right-to-Use and Support Licenses – Both right-to-use licenses – traditionally classified as Internal Connections (IC) – and support licenses (newly classified under IC) can be considered as non-recurring services or recurring services depending on the supporting contract documents and how your vendor bills for the licenses. Support licenses are considered non-recurring services when the supporting documentation reflects fixed (non-recurring) pricing. In contrast, if a vendor’s supporting documentation reflects a support license that is billed as a monthly recurring charge, that is how it should be reflected on the funding request.
  5. If your service provider has applied for but does not yet have a SPIN number, you can enter the Interim SPIN 143666666 on your Contract Record or Form 471 as a placeholder so you can timely file your application before the March 26 deadline.  After the SPIN has been received, you can then update the application with the actual SPIN using the RAL Modification Process or during the PIA review of your application.
  6. How to return to an incomplete FCC Form 471 – If you are not finished with a form and you need to exit the form, you can click the SAVE & CONTINUE button to save your work on the current page and then exit the browser. EPC will create a task for you in the My Tasks list located in the Tasks tab on your landing page, that you can use to return to the unfinished form and complete your data entry. If EPC unexpectedly times you out of the system, EPC will also create a task for you to use to return to your form.
  7. Can I Increase Category 2 Quantities – During the bid evaluations, many schools and libraries may find that their bids are coming in with lower costs than they had anticipated when they developed their original equipment list, thus begging the question – “Can I increase quantities on my vendor contract and Form 471 than what was originally sought on my mini-bid or Form 470.” The answer is yes, this is permissible, but within reason. First, you should conduct your bid evaluation and select the winning vendor. Next, email the winning vendor to seek a draft contract that increases the quantities of X product. Then submit the Form 471 using the new contract and higher quantities/amounts. Be sure to keep your bid evaluation (always) and a paper trail of your vendor correspondence.  To view what’s remaining in your C2 budget, use this tool:  E-Rate-C2-Budget-Tool-FY2021-/8z69-hkn7.
  8. How to correct information on the FCC Form 471 after it is certified – After the FCC Form 471 has been certified, use a Receipt Acknowledgment Letter (RAL) modification request to make corrections on the form. This includes corrections to the entity profile information and any other information on the form. You may also add or remove funding requests via a RAL modification request. Note that your PIA reviewer may have questions about the reasons for the changes you request. To learn how to submit modification requests for your FCC Form(s) 471, view the  How to Modify/Cancel FY 2026 Submitted Form 471 Applications guide.
  9. Starting Saturday, March 28, USAC’s Customer Support Center (CSC) will be open the following days/extended hours to assist applicants with last-minute questions:
  • Saturday, March 28 – 12 p.m. to 5 p.m
  • Sunday, March 29 – 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.
  • Monday, March 30 – 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
  • Tuesday, March 31 – 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
  • Wednesday, April 1 – 8 a.m. to 11:59 p.m.

To reach CSC, call 888-203-8100. Note: Call volumes are significantly higher during the last few days of the filing window, so you will generally reach an agent more quickly if you call this weekend or next or weekdays before 11:00 a.m.  

10. Additional Words of Wisdom:

  • You must file a Form 471 every year to request funding for recurring services – even if you’re in a multi-year contract.  There’s no such thing as a multi-year E-Rate funding commitment.
  • Remote type support SKUs (maintenance) or license renewals that include remote support are now eligible under Internal Connections (IC).
  • On-Site support SKUs (maintenance) must be filed on a separate FRN in the Basic Maintenance category (BMIC).
  • If a SKU has no cost, or you are not requesting E-Rate discounts on it, leave it off your Form 471 entirely.
  • Don’t use the Save & Share or Send for Certification Buttons on the Form 471.  It will remove the application from your EPC portal and send it to all other EPC Users for your entity.  You’ll find yourself frantic, wondering why your application disappeared.
  • There’s no way to upload a contract amendment into EPC.  Don’t create a new Contract Record.  You can mention in the FRN narrative whether your contract was amended, and PIA will reach out for a copy of the amendment if needed.

I will be checking my email both this weekend and next if you have any questions.
Happy filing!
Lorrie

Lorrie Germann
Pennsylvania E-Rate Coordinator
717-576-2737 – o
lgermann@e-ratepa.org
www.e-ratepa.org

Site designed and maintained by Silver Penny Studio