Step 4 Applying for Discounts

To apply for Schools and Libraries Program discounts, file an FCC Form 471 to provide USAC with information about the services you are requesting and the discount(s) for which you are eligible. USAC will review your request, may ask for additional information, and will then issue a funding decision.

Filing an FCC Form 471

The FCC Form 471 must be filed during a specific application window each year. In general, the application filing window opens about six months before the start of the funding year and is open for about two and a half months. All applications received or postmarked before the close of the filing window are considered as having arrived on the same day, and have priority over those submitted after the filing window has closed. The specific opening and closing dates of the filing window are published in advance on this website.

If a consultant is assisting you with the application process, provide the appropriate information in Item 6g of your FCC Form 471, including the consultant registration number.

After the FCC Form 471 is certified online or on paper, USAC will issue an FCC Form 471 Receipt Acknowledgment Letter (RAL). This letter features much of the information featured on the form, provides a means to correct certain errors, and discusses the next steps in the application process.

Information required on the FCC Form 471

The information you must be ready to provide includes the following:

• Entity numbers (also called Billed Entity Numbers (BENs)) for all entities receiving service (recipients of service), together with specific information for each entity (Block 4 of the form)
• NCES and/or FSCS codes for entities receiving service (Block 4)
• Information on telephone and Internet access connections and speeds(Block 2)

For each funding request (a service or set of services specific to both a category of service and a service provider) you must also provide:

• Student counts to use for calculating discounts - the total number of students and the total number of students eligible for the National School Lunch Program (NSLP)
• Note: A library uses the student numbers (total and NSLP-eligible) for the public school district in which the library is located.
• You can also use an alternative discount mechanism to determine student eligibility.
• Specific information on each service or set of services you are requesting, including:
• Name and Service Provider Identification Number (SPIN) of the service provider
• Cost of the service
• Contract number and other contract details (if there is a contract)
• Start and end dates of service
• Worksheet(s) identifying the entity or set of entities receiving each service
• A detailed description of services, referred to as an Item 21 attachment

Your certified FCC Form 471 and Item 21 attachment(s) are due on or before the close of the application filing window.

Next Step

Once you have submitted your FCC Form 471 and Item 21 attachments, USAC’s Program Integrity Assurance (PIA) group can begin the review of your application.