Filing window extended till Feb. 19

Adverse weather prompts USAC to extend deadline

The 2010 E-rate filing window for Form 471 opened at noon on Dec. 3, 2009 and will be extended to close at midnight on Feb. 19, 2010, said the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC), the organization charged with administering the E-rate funding program. Schools and libraries will have 71 days in which to file their applications.

For more information on E-rate and how to benefit from SOCS services, read the following articles:

Filing for E-rate – A Step-by-Step Guide to Filing E-rate for SOCS

What SOCS Services are Eligible for E-rate Funding? 

Or contact us at erate@fes.org. 

USAC reports that applications can be filed now for 2010 Forms 470
The Form 470 must be posted to USAC's web site for 28 days before any contracts are signed and Forms 471 is filed. That means the Form 470 must be filed by Jan. 14 to cover the 28 day waiting period.

USAC encourages applicants to file early, because, in the past, a high percentage of Forms 471 is filed in the final week that the window is open.

USAC also encourages applicants to file online. The automated system notifies you of possible errors and allows for correction. Plus, the system makes calculations for you.

E-rate funds $2.25 billion of federal dollars a year to eligible schools and libraries with discounts of up to 90 percent on the cost of telecommunications services, internet access, and internal connections.

Funding Year 2010, the program's twelfth year, runs from July 1, 2010, to June 30, 2011.

You may also want to visit the USAC website.