E-rate Form Changes May Impact Applicants

On December 15, 2016, the OMB approved updates to 3 E-rate related forms. The newly approved form information is for the Form 479, Form 500 and the Form 486. No substantial changes were made to any of the forms, but all these forms will now have a December 2016 approval date at the bottom. The updated form information only became available on the SLD website this week. How does the month long delay impact applicants? For consortia applicants, this delay may impact them greatly. Technically as of December 16^th, the old forms are no longer valid for use and the Form 479 can only be done on paper. If a consortia member made their CIPA certifications and signed the Form 479 after December 15^th on the old form, then a new Form 479 may be needed. Same thing with any applicants that filled out a Form 500 for a FY2015 or earlier E-rate request. The request may need to be resubmitted. Currently the SLD isn’t making a PDF copy of the Form 486 available. Applicants filing the 486 are being directed either in EPC for FY2016 requests, or back to the old legacy system to file the Form 486 online for earlier years. View the updated copies of Form 479 and Form 500