May 11, 2017<\/p>\n
~ Deadline is 11:59 p.m. EDT Tonight ~<\/strong><\/p>\n ~ Call or e-mail me with questions! ~<\/strong><\/p>\n You’re almost there!\u00a0 Here are the most common questions over the last 2 days:<\/p>\n Do consortia and libraries have to file by May 11?\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n Yes!\u00a0 Unlike last year, all applicants have the same Form 471 deadline, which is today, May 11.<\/p>\n I\u2019m having trouble with the Category 2 Bulk Upload.\u00a0 What should I do?<\/strong><\/p>\n We\u2019ve heard of a few schools that are having difficulties trying to upload their validated Bulk Upload Template.\u00a0 If you\u2019re in this situation, please let me know right away.<\/p>\n My Category 2 requests exceed my remaining C2 budget for a school.\u00a0 Should I put all of the charges on the 471, or reduce my funding request to meet my C2 budget?<\/strong><\/p>\n Do NOTinclude all of the charges on the 471 if you have exceeded the school\u2019s C2 budget as this will result in PIA requiring you to remove certain line items to meet your C2 budget and significantly delay the processing of your application.\u00a0 You should only submit C2 funding requests up to your remaining C2 school cap.\u00a0 Obviously, this also means that the Form 471 is not smart enough to alert you that you\u2019ve exceeded your remaining C2 budget. \u00a0To find out what C2 funding a school has been committed in FY 2015 and FY 2016, use this tool:\u00a0 https:\/\/sltools.universalservice.org\/portal-external\/budgetLookup\/<\/a><\/p>\n Does the vendor contract have to be signed by both the vendor and the applicant before the 471 is filed?<\/strong><\/p>\n All contracts must be signed by the applicant prior to filing the Form 471. \u00a0\u00a0The vendor is not required to sign by the Form 471 filing.<\/p>\n Should C2 licenses be treated as equipment or basic maintenance?<\/strong><\/p>\n This depends.\u00a0 If the licenses are truly licenses on a piece of equipment (most commonly on web-based equipment), then they should be applied for the same as equipment.\u00a0 PIA will know these are licenses based on the model # provided.\u00a0 However, if the licenses are maintenance charges, they must be listed on a separate FRN under Basic Maintenance of Internal Connections. \u00a0\u00a0Software updates are considered eligible maintenance charges; replacement warranties are not eligible.\u00a0 If a maintenance charge contains both, you should contact the manufacturer to determine the % eligibility of that maintenance product.\u00a0 For example, Smartnet is only partially eligible and the % eligibility will be determined based on the equipment that is being maintained and the type of Smartnet.<\/p>\n I need to edit my incomplete 471 – how to get back into the 471? <\/strong><\/p>\n — If you click on something that takes you out of the 471, or if you deliberately leave the 471, it’s easy to return where you left off.\u00a0 Simply go to your EPC Landing Page by clicking on the USAC Logo, and then under “My Tasks” click on the appropriate “FCC Form 471 – #xxxxxxxxx {Nickname You Gave the Form}.”<\/p>\n — Or if you’re on the ‘Review PDF’ page, click on \u201cEdit Form\u201d in the bottom left corner to get back into the form.<\/p>\n — Or if you clicked on Save and Share or Send for Certification, EPC has sent the form to all “full rights users” in your EPC account, and the form has disappeared from your Landing Page Task List.\u00a0 You’ll have to contact one of the full rights users in your organization and have them send it back to you.<\/p>\n Can we upload contract amendments to our existing Contract Record in EPC?\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n Unfortunately, you cannot modify or add additional documents to your existing Contract Record in EPC. \u00a0If you amended your contract (perhaps to upgrade bandwidth), PIA may reach out to you to ask why the requested services\/amounts are different than what are contained in your original contract in which case you\u2019ll simply send them the contract amendment. \u00a0Do not create a new contract record simply because a contract was amended.<\/p>\n We just realized that we need to make changes to a school\u2019s entity profile but the system is locked down.\u00a0 What should we do?<\/strong><\/p>\n There was an \u201cAdmin Window\u201d in February where such changes could be made; however, the system is now locked down and no changes can be made, including to Enrollment, NSLP data, Entity Name changes, etc.\u00a0 However, you can list those changes in the Narrative Section of one of your FRNs and PIA will make the updates during their review.\u00a0 Also, you\u2019ll want to submit a RAL correction to memorialize the changes after the 471 is submitted (https:\/\/e-ratepa.org\/?p=19551<\/a>).<\/p>\n What option do we select for C2 installation? <\/strong><\/p>\n Select > Miscellaneous > Installation from the drop down options.<\/p>\n As of last night, here is a status of PA’s 471 filings (and how they compare to the last day of the window last year):<\/strong><\/p>\n Applicants:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 884 (3 more than last year on this same day)<\/p>\n 471s:\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 1699 (94 more than last year on this same day)<\/p>\n FRNs:\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 3075 (318 more than last year on this same day)<\/p>\n There are about 99 PA school districts that haven’t yet submitted a 471 application, and I suspect half of these haven\u2019t done so because either they no longer qualify for voice discounts or are only at a 10-20% discount, and they have no recurring broadband\/internet costs which they pay for directly.<\/p>\n If you have any questions, please let me know!\u00a0 I\u2019m here to help!!!<\/p>\n — Julie<\/p>\n I \u00a0E-rate!<\/p>\n Julie Tritt Schell<\/p>\n PA E-rate Coordinator<\/p>\n 717-730-7133 – o<\/p>\n 717-730-9060 – f<\/p>\n