{"id":34897,"date":"2023-07-11T01:02:28","date_gmt":"2023-07-11T01:02:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/e-ratepaorg.local\/?p=34897"},"modified":"2023-07-21T02:41:45","modified_gmt":"2023-07-21T02:41:45","slug":"file-bears-now-for-fy-2022-e-rate-reimbursements","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/e-ratepa.org\/?p=34897","title":{"rendered":"File BEARs Now for FY 2022 E-rate Reimbursements"},"content":{"rendered":"

July 11, 2023<\/span><\/p>\n

Attached:\u00a0FY 2022 BEAR Statuses as of July 10 2023<\/a><\/p>\n

Attached:\u00a0Form 472 BEAR Filing Guide FY 2022<\/a><\/p>\n

~ FY 2023 BEARs Also May Now Be Submitted ~
\n~ Invoicing Status of\u00a0All\u00a0FY 2022 FRNs Attached ~
\n~ BEAR Filing Guide Attached ~
\n~ BEAR Migration Into EPC Delayed ~<\/p>\n

The last day to receive FY 2022 recurring services was June 30, 2023 and so now is the time to submit the Form 472 BEAR to USAC for services in which you paid vendor bills in full from July 1, 2022 – June 30, 2023.\u00a0\u00a0How do you know if you need to submit a BEAR?<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0The easy answer is that if you received discounted bills from your vendor, you do\u00a0not\u00a0need to submit a BEAR (your E-rate discounts were applied to your bill).\u00a0 If you did\u00a0not<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0receive discounted bills, then you likely will have to file a Form 472 BEAR to collect your reimbursement.\u00a0 Attached is a list showing the invoicing status of\u00a0every\u00a0FY 2022 FRN (including internal connections and FRNs where vendors have already provided discounted bills) so you can get a holistic picture of your FY 2022 funding requests.\u00a0 Column A shows the invoicing status of the FRN and those highlighted in yellow require your attention and possible action.\u00a0 All subsequent BEAR reminders with lists will only include FRNs where a BEAR should be submitted.<\/p>\n

Deadlines<\/strong>:\u00a0 The deadline for FY 2022 recurring services BEARs is October 30, 2023 (normally, October 28, but this falls on a weekend this year).\u00a0 The deadline for FY 2022 non-recurring purchases is January 29, 2024 (again, January 28 falls on a weekend).<\/p>\n

Status of BEAR Migration into EPC:<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0USAC intended to move the Form 472 BEAR from being a separate module when you log into EPC, to a form embedded within the E-rate EPC portal itself.\u00a0 That migration has been delayed; therefore, applicants should continue to submit BEARs as they always have.\u00a0 I will update you when the migration date has been established and send an updated Form 472 Filing Guide at that time.<\/p>\n

Supply Chain Delays?<\/strong>:\u00a0 The deadline to receive and install FY 2022 internal connections equipment is September 30, 2023.\u00a0 If you don\u2019t think you will be able to make this deadline due to supply chain issues, submit a Form 500 now to request additional time.\u00a0 USAC will grant you an additional 12 months to receive\/install the equipment, and the invoice deadline will automatically be extended a full year as well.<\/p>\n

FY 2023 Purchases:<\/strong>\u00a0 Many applicants purchased FY\u00a02023<\/strong>\u00a0internal connections equipment after April 1, 2023 and paid for the equipment in full.\u00a0 Assuming they have received an FCDL, those applicants may now submit BEARs for those purchases as well.\u00a0 Slide 12 of the attached BEAR Filing Guide shows how to complete the form for these one-time purchases.<\/p>\n

BEAR LOG-IN INFORMATION:<\/strong><\/p>\n