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December 25, 2023

Introduction

The E-Rate Central News for the Week is prepared by E-Rate Central. E-Rate Central specializes in providing consulting, compliance, and forms processing services to E-rate applicants. To learn more about our services, please contact us by phone (516-801-7804), fax (516-801-7810), or through our Contact Us web form. Additional E-rate information is located on the E-Rate Central website.

E-Rate Central wishes you all the best for this holiday season and for the coming New Year.

E-Rate for FY 2023:

USAC issued Wave 35 for FY 2023 on Thursday, December 21st, for $17.8 million.  Total funding is now $2.47 billion.  At this point, USAC has funded 96.9% of the originally submitted applications representing 87.0% of the dollars requested.

ECF for 2021-2023:

Total commitments for all three ECF windows are $6.45 billion.

E-Rate for FY 2024:

The Form 471 filing window for FY 2024 opens on Wednesday, January 17th, at noon EST and will close on Wednesday, March 27, 2024, at 11:59 p.m. EDT.  The EPC administrative window, which is currently open to allow applicants to update their entity profiles, will close on January 12th (three days earlier than reported in USAC's previous News Brief).  At that point, entity profiles will be locked for the duration of the application window.

Upcoming Dates:

December 29     The Form 486 deadline for FY 2023 Wave 19.  More generally, the Form 486 deadline is 120 days from the FCDL date or from the service start date (typically July 1st), whichever is later.  Upcoming Form 486 deadlines are:
Wave 20                      01/05/2024
Wave 21                      01/12/2024
Wave 22                      01/19/2024
Applicants missing their Form 486s deadlines should, within the week, receive Urgent Reminder Letters from USAC providing a 15-day grace period.
January 8         Last day of the winter PIA deferral period.
January 12 Close of the EPC administrative window.
January 16 New, and slightly extended, due date for comments on the FCC's NPRM (FCC 23-91) on the eligibility of hotspot loans (see our newsletter of November 13th).  Reply comments will now be due January 29th.
January 17 The Form 471 filing window for FY 2024 opens at noon EST and will close on Wednesday, March 27, 2024, at 11:59 p.m. EDT.
January 29 Invoice (or invoice deadline extension request) deadline for FY 2022 non‑recurring services FRNs.
February 27 Extended invoice deadline for FY 2022 recurring services FRNs.
February 28 Last possible day to file a Form 470 for FY 2024 so as to allow its posting for at least 28 days before the close of the Form 471 application window.
Please note that any applicant waiting until February 28th to file a Form 470 will have to review all bids, select vendors, sign contracts and upload them into EPC, create and file their Form 471, all on March 27th when the EPC is likely to be at its busiest.  This is NOT a recommended course of action!
March 27 Close of the Form 471 application window for FY 2024.  To be considered as having been filed “in window,” Form 471s must be filed and certified by 11:59 p.m. EDT.

USAC's E-Rate Special Edition News Brief dated December 22 2023, highlighted the opening of the Form 471 application filing window on Wednesday, January 17th, previously announced in its News Brief of December 15th, and corrected the closing date of the Administrative Window (now January 12th).  The Form 471 filing window will close on March 27th at 11:59 p.m. EDT.

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