Preparation Tips
Introduction:
FCC Form 486, Receipt of Service Confirmation and Children’s Internet Protection Act Certification Form, is a form that must be filed by an applicant before any E-rate payments can be made to a vendor. Its purpose is to alert USAC that services, on which discounts have been approved as indicated in a funding letter, are indeed being provided by the service provider.
Form Instructions
Detailed instructions for completing a Form 486 can be found:
The Form 486 for FY 2016 and later must be completed and submitted online in the E-rate Productivity Center (“EPC”). The Form 486 for FY2015 and previous years must be filed online in the “legacy system,” FY 2015-Prior Form 486 Submission.
Tip 1:
Take the time to carefully review the associated Funding Commitment Decisions Letter ("FCDL") before completing and submitting any Form 486.
- See E-Rate Central's suggestions for Review of FCDL.
- The Form 486 can be submitted only after receiving a Funding Commitment Decisions Letter ("FCDL"). Take the necessary time to review the FCDL and to complete the Form properly, but understand that the invoicing process for discounts and reimbursements cannot be initiated before the Form is filed and accepted.
- Applicants contesting the amount of a funding commitment decision should proceed with the filing of a Form 486, including the associated Funding request Number ("FRN"), while their appeals are pending. Applicants appealing the denial of funds on a specific line item should not file a Form 486 with that FRN.
Tip 2:
Ensure that all FRNs which your entity will be utilizing service are included on a Form 486.
- Check the Form 486 status using USAC’s FRN Status Tool. The column titled “486 Service Start Date” will be populated if the Form 486 has been successfully certified. If that column is blank and you will be utilizing that service, be certain to submit a Form before the deadline (See Tip 3 below) to ensure receipt of the fully funded amount.
Tip 3:
Filing deadlines and CIPA certifications are critical.
- Generally, the Form 486 must be postmarked no later than 120 days after the date of the applicant's Funding Commitment Decision Letter ("FCDL") or the Service Start Date on any listed funding request ("FRN"), whichever is later.
- Because filing deadlines depend on a combination of funding years, FCDL dates, and Service Start Dates, applicants should carefully review the detailed situation descriptions provided in the Form 486 Instructions.
- If a Form 486 filing deadline is missed, the applicant may receive discounts for only a portion of the year, not from the original Service Start Date.
- An applicant receiving E-rate discounts only for telecommunications services is not required to comply with CIPA filtering and policy requirements.
- An applicant receiving discounts on Internet access and/or internal connections services must select the CIPA Certification that they are in compliance with CIPA or, for first year applicants, the CIPA Certification stating that they are undertaking actions to be in compliance by the following year.
- Consortium leaders, filing a Form 486 for Internet access and/or internal connections services, must first collect Form 479s from all of their members. The Form 479 requires comparable CIPA certifications by each eligible member. Consortiums must be careful to allow sufficient lead times to collect Form 479s in order to meet the Form 486 deadline.
- Selecting an incorrect CIPA status may cause the Form 486 to be held up for further review, which in turn will delay the ability to invoice USAC. Carefully read each option and select the correct choice for your school or library
Tip 4:
Incorrect SPINs shown in FCDLs should be corrected when filing a Form 486.
- One of the most common problems that must be resolved before filing a Form 486 is an incorrect SPIN. The Supplier Provider Identification Number may be wrong because it was entered incorrectly in the Form 471 or because the vendor changed the number.
- To correct, or change, a SPIN, submit a Corrective SPIN Change request in EPC. Once the SPIN Change is approved, the Form 486 may then be correctly submitted for that FRN.