{"id":33772,"date":"2021-11-02T16:23:05","date_gmt":"2021-11-02T16:23:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/e-ratepaorg.local\/?p=33772"},"modified":"2021-11-02T16:23:54","modified_gmt":"2021-11-02T16:23:54","slug":"lets-begin-e-rate-funding-year-2022","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/e-ratepa.org\/?p=33772","title":{"rendered":"Let’s Begin E-rate Funding Year 2022!"},"content":{"rendered":"

November 2, 2021<\/span><\/p>\n

Attached:\u00a0RFP-Form-470-Narrative-Guide<\/a><\/p>\n

I\u2019m so excited to announce the beginning of the FY 2022 E-rate application process!\u00a0\u00a0 Below is a summary of the changes you can expect for FY 2022, important reminders, and a helpful \u201cwhat to do by what date\u201d chart at the bottom.<\/p>\n

1) \u00a0 Form 470 Changes for Both C1 and C2 Forms<\/strong><\/p>\n

— You may recall that in recent years the Form 470 contained drop-down options for both Category 1 and Category 2 service requests.\u00a0 For FY 2022, the FCC modified the drop-down options to be descriptive options with progressive disclosures for Category 1 (meaning the form takes you to additional levels of questions, depending on the options you select).\u00a0 To make the options a little more understandable, I\u2019ve created this helpful guide that contains screenshots of the new Form 470 with plain language annotations:\u00a0https:\/\/e-ratepa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/Guide-to-New-Form-470-Options.pdf<\/a>.<\/p>\n

2) \u00a0Options for Updating Entity Profiles in the \u201cAdministrative Window\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

— The \u201cAdministrative Window\u201d is the window\u00a0before<\/em>\u00a0the 471 application window, during which time schools usually update their enrollment and NSLP (or CEP%) data in each school\u2019s EPC profile.\u00a0 The Admin Window is now open and is expected to close the first week in January.\u00a0\u00a0USAC has just announced that schools will be permitted to use FY 2020 or FY 2021 enrollment and NSLP data if your current data has been impacted due to the COVID-19 pandemic.\u00a0 \u00a0Typically, discount rates rarely go up or down from year to year; therefore, it is highly likely that most schools will choose to\u00a0not\u00a0update the enrollment and NSLP data in each school\u2019s EPC profiles this year, assuming the data in the profile is from fall 2019 or fall 2020.\u00a0 If your E-rate discount will increase by using the most current data (Oct 2021) you should update the enrollment and NSLP data in EPC for each school before the close of the Admin Window which is expected to be around January 8.\u00a0 A\u00a0Guide to Updating C2 Budget Data and Discount Data<\/em>\u00a0is available at:\u00a0\u00a0https:\/\/e-ratepa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/Guide-to-Entering-Enrollment-NSLP-in-EPC-FY-2022.pdf<\/a>\u00a0to walk you through the process for updating each school\u2019s EPC profiles.<\/p>\n

3) \u00a0Form 471 Filing Window Dates<\/strong><\/p>\n

— USAC has not yet announced the official Form 471 Filing Window dates, but indicated recently that they expect the window dates to be very similar to last year, which means it would likely open around the second week in January and close around March 25, 2022.\u00a0 For a suggested FY 2022 bidding\/filing timeline, see the chart at the bottom of this message.<\/p>\n

4)\u00a0 FY 2022 PEPPM Mini-Bid Guide\/Documents Available<\/strong><\/p>\n

— The FY 2022 PEPPM Mini-Bid Guide and related documents are available at:\u00a0\u00a0https:\/\/e-ratepa.org\/?page_id=6121<\/a>.\u00a0 In general, there are no updates from FY 2022 but I caution you to use the most updated\u00a0Vendor Category List (Step 3\/Attachment C)<\/a>\u00a0from the site each time you create a new mini-bid in order to obtain the most recent vendor contact information.<\/p>\n

5) \u00a0 Category 2 Budgets \u2013 What\u2019s Remaining for Your School or Library<\/strong><\/p>\n

—\u00a0Beginning in Funding Year 2021, the new Category 2 cycle went into effect (FY 2021 \u2013 FY 2025) at which time all C2 pre-discount budgets were reset, and a new C2 multiplier was set ($167\/student for schools and $4.50\/sq ft for libraries \u2013 or a minimum of $25,000\/building).\u00a0 In addition,\u00a0C2 budgets are now calculated at the school district or library system level (no more individual school or library building C2 budget caps), the enrollment figure used for C2 budgets can be different from the enrollment used for discount calculations (see #2) and schools can use the same C2 enrollment for the entire budget cycle or modify it if enrollment has increased to take advantage of the higher C2 budget.\u00a0 To see what your remaining C2 budget is for FY 2022 \u2013 FY 2025 (as of 10\/20\/2021), see:\u00a0\u00a0https:\/\/e-ratepa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/C2-Budgets-Remaining-as-of-10-20-2021.xlsx<\/a>.\u00a0 If you update your C2 enrollment in EPC, the C2 budget will change and the results can be found\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

6) \u00a0Unsure Whether You Need to Rebid Category 1 Services This Year?<\/strong><\/p>\n

— In order to remind you of the status of your current Category 1 contracts (telecom and Internet), please see this message (https:\/\/e-ratepa.org\/?p=32690<\/a>) sent\u00a0to the listserve on 10\/20\/2021 that provides a list of all FY 2021 C1 FRNs, and the expiration dates of those contracts.\u00a0 In the spreadsheet there\u2019s an additional column \u2013 \u201cJulie\u2019s Rebidding Status Notes\u201d \u2013 explaining whether I think the service must be rebid for FY 2022.\u00a0 Please note that this data was taken directly from your FY 2021 From 471 submissions.\u00a0 If you listed the wrong contract expiration date on last year\u2019s application, be sure to enter the accurate date on the FY 2022 application (and be prepared to show PIA your contract as you will likely receive questions on why the date changed).<\/p>\n

7) \u00a0Extending an Existing Contract?<\/strong>
\n— If your original contract included (finite, not open-ended) voluntary extensions and you wish to exercise one of those extensions for FY 2022, be certain to notify the vendor in writing of that decision before the Form 471 is filed.\u00a0 USAC will ask for a copy of that written notification during PIA review, so be sure to retain evidence of that notification.<\/p>\n

8)<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0E-rate RFP & Form 470 Narrative Guide Released<\/strong><\/p>\n

— To assist applicants with preparing their E-rate Form 470\u2019s and Request for Proposals (RFP), I\u2019ve created the\u00a0RFP & Form 470 Narrative Guide<\/a>\u00a0that contains the following information related to both Category 1 and Category 2 service\/equipment requests:<\/p>\n