April 3, 2017<\/p>\n
Attached:\u00a0Form 471 Category 2 Filing Guide 2017<\/a><\/p>\n Attached you will find the FY 2017 Category 2 Form 471 Filing Guide.\u00a0 It contains 126 slides, walking you through three funding requests as follows:<\/p>\n HELPFUL HINTS<\/strong><\/p>\n All Category 2 purchases require a signed contract prior to submitting the Form 471.\u00a0 This can be as simple as signing\/dating the vendor contract, and including the contract term and any funding contingencies.\u00a0 Before starting your Form 471, upload the signed contract into EPC. \u00a0Landing Page > Name of District > Contracts > Manage Contracts.\u00a0 The Contract Module Guide can be found at: https:\/\/e-ratepa.org\/?p=18831<\/a>.\u00a0 The PEPPM Contract Module Guide can be found at: https:\/\/e-ratepa.org\/?p=18891<\/a>.<\/p>\n If a piece of Category 2 equipment is shared by two or more schools, the cost of the equipment must be allocated from the C2 budgets of the schools sharing the equipment (core switches and wireless controllers are good examples of shared equipment).\u00a0 Deciding which cost allocation method to choose \u2014 and making sure you do so correctly on your Form 471 \u2014 is important. \u00a0You can either 1) allocate the costs equally (the same amounts) from each school\u2019s C2 budget that is using the equipment, or 2) allocate the costs on a weighted basis.\u00a0\u00a0 The second option requires some off-line math to be done, but it allocates more funding from the schools that have larger C2 budgets which may be advantageous to you.\u00a0 Here is a Guide to help you figure out the cost allocation guidelines\/math for shared equipment – https:\/\/e-ratepa.org\/?p=12651<\/a>.<\/p>\n If your Category 2 request contains multiple components, you must create a separate FRN Line Item for each component (model), and then show the # of units, the cost per unit, and which schools will be using the equipment.\u00a0 For example, switches often have multiple components that comprise a single switch, and the 471 requires you to create a new FRN Line Item for each component.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n When applying for E-rate funding for Internal Connections, the Form 471 requires every component to be listed on its own FRN Line Item, followed by a detailed listing of which entities will be using the equipment and how much funding should be allocated from their respective Category 2 budgets to pay for the equipment.\u00a0 Creating these FRNs can be time consuming, as many of you have discovered over the last two years.\u00a0 To help alleviate this burden, USAC has created off-line Templates that can be completed and then uploaded into the Funding Request instead of manually creating\/adding FRN Line Items.\u00a0 The Bulk Upload Guide is included in the attached Category 2 Form 471 Guide, starting on page 103.<\/p>\n If you already created a FY 2017 (or FY 2016) Funding Request and would like to re-use it as the basis for a new FY 2017 FRN, simply use the Copy FRN function. \u00a0A helpful Copy FRN Guide is available at: https:\/\/e-ratepa.org\/?p=19301<\/a>. \u00a0This can be useful if you created an application and want to submit a nearly identical funding request, or if you previously submitted an application and now realize you want to make changes (sometimes it\u2019s easier to cancel an FRN or 471 and start over rather than submitting a RAL Correction request which takes PIA extra time to process).<\/p>\n If you have any questions as you’re working through your Form 471, please don’t hesitate to e-mail me at jtschell@comcast.net<\/a>.\u00a0 Happy Filing!<\/p>\n — Julie<\/p>\n Julie Tritt Schell<\/p>\n PA E-rate Coordinator penn*link<\/p>\n\n\n
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\n717-730-7133 – o
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\njtschell@comcast.net<\/a>
\nwww.e-ratepa.org<\/a><\/p>\n