{"id":35220,"date":"2023-12-08T03:31:59","date_gmt":"2023-12-08T03:31:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/e-ratepaorg.local\/?p=35220"},"modified":"2023-12-12T03:34:15","modified_gmt":"2023-12-12T03:34:15","slug":"e-rate-december-2023-update","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/e-ratepa.org\/?p=35220","title":{"rendered":"E-rate December 2023 Update"},"content":{"rendered":"

December 8, 2023<\/span><\/p>\n

Begin Your FY 2024 Bidding If You Haven\u2019t Started<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 If you have a contract that needs to be rebid, or you will be seeking Category 2 funding for FY 2025, and you haven\u2019t yet started your competitive bidding process, please do so as soon as possible.\u00a0 Do not wait until January to begin your bidding!\u00a0 How do you know if you have to bid?\u00a0 Here\u2019s a reminder:<\/p>\n

1)\u00a0 If a service is covered on a Month-to-Month basis (meaning no contract exists \u2013 these are mostly cable modem-type services) AND your services do not qualify for the\u00a0CABIO bidding exemption<\/a>;<\/p>\n

2)\u00a0 At the\u00a0beginning\u00a0of any new contract.\u00a0 Note:\u00a0 If you posted a Form 470 in a previous year, and then signed a multi-year contract that expires on or after June 30, 2025, you are\u00a0not\u00a0required to file a Form 470 for FY 2024.<\/p>\n

3)\u00a0 If you\u2019re upgrading service and the upgrades and associated prices are not included in the original contract.<\/p>\n

A rebidding status list, based on the contract expiration dates you listed on the FY 2023 Form 471, is available at:\u00a0\u00a0https:\/\/e-ratepa.org\/?p=35117<\/a>.<\/p>\n

FY 2024 Form 471 Window Dates<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0The Form 471 window filing dates have not yet been announced, likely because they are waiting for details of the school bus Wi-Fi implementation to be released.\u00a0 I expect we will have the dates before the holiday break, and they will be very similar to previous years which is that the window will open mid-January and close mid-late March.<\/p>\n

Updating Discounts in EPC with Enrollment\/NSLP Data<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0The period before the Form 471 window opens when schools and libraries make sure their EPC profiles are up to date is called the Admin Window.<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>The Admin Window deadline for FY 2024 has not been announced but I expect it will be around January 10.<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>Applicants are required to update their enrollment and NSLP (or CEP%) each year.\u00a0 Please see\u00a0https:\/\/e-ratepa.org\/?p=35212<\/a>\u00a0for information on updating this data.<\/p>\n

Answers to Recent Enrollment\/NSLP\/CEP Questions:<\/strong><\/p>\n