E-rate Form 470 - FY2015 (July 1, 2015 - June 30, 2016)

Please note: the forms on the USAC website do not work in Firefox on the PC or Mac. They work only in Internet Explorer (IE) on the PC and Safari on the Mac.

CHANGES TO E-RATE:

1) The discount rate applicants receive for voice services will be reduced by 20 percentage points every funding year beginning in funding year 2015. This phase down will apply to all costs incurred for the provision of telephone services and circuit capacity dedicated to providing voice services, including: local phone service, long distance service, plain old telephone services, radio loop, 800 service, satellite telephone, shared telephone service, Centrex, wireless telephone service such as cellular, and interconnected VoIP.

2) Support in funding year 2015 has been eliminated for paging; telephone service components, including directory assistance charges, text messaging, custom calling services, direct inward dialing, 900/976 call blocking, and inside wire maintenance plans; e-mail; web hosting; and voicemail. Data plans and air cards for mobile devices will remain eligible for support only if a school or library can demonstrate that individual data plans are the most cost-effective options for providing internal broadband access for portable mobile devices at its facility.

A full summary of the changes to E-rate can be found here.

The Form 470 is the first form completed and starts the application process for a funding year. We recommend completing the form anywhere from early November of the preceding year through January of the funding year (so, for Funding Year 2015, it is recommended to complete the Form 470 anywhere from November 2014 through January of 2015).

Please complete this form as early as possible, because there is a mandatory 28-day waiting period between the completion of this form and the next, the Form 471. Because of this, the deadline for completing the Form 470 for FY 2015 is February 26, 2015.

Note: These instructions offer advice to public libraries applying for “plain old telephone service” sometimes called POTS ? for their libraries. This means both local and long distance telephone service, and can include FAX lines, digital telephone or VOIP, but does not include fees for dedicated security lines such as those used by an alarm system. Other services may be eligible for E-rate reimbursement, such as internet service or data plans for cellphones, but these instructions only cover applying for telephone service.

Some files below require the free Adobe Reader.

Download the Form 470 instructions. [PDF, 865 KB]

  1. Go to Apply Online and click Create Form 470.
  2. Enter your Entity Number and click Next. If you don't know your library's Entity Number, search by zip code, click on the Entity Number corresponding to your library, and click Next.
  3. Confirm the name and street address are correct, then click Next.
  4. A pop-up window will appear. Click OK.
  5. Type in a form identifier of your choice under "Applicant's Form Identifier." 470-2015 is a good example.
  6. Block 1, #2: select the current funding year from the drop-down menu.
  7. Block 1, #5a: click on the circle next to Library. #5b: check the box next to Public. #5c: type "1" into the text box.
  8. Block 1, #6a: type your name into the text box, then click "Copy 4a-c above to 6b-d below."
  9. Block 1, #6e: click on the circle next to 6e. Type your email address into the text box, then re-enter your email address into the text box immediately below. Click Next.
  10. Print or write down the Form 470 Application #, then click Next.
  11. Check the "Internet Access and/or Telecommunications" box, then click Next.
  12. Click the circle bext to 8b.
  13. In the first text box under "Service", type: "Local and long distance telephone service"
  14. In the first text box under "Quantity and / or Capacity", type "up to X lines" where X is one more than the number of phone and fax lines currently being used at your library. Click Next.
  15. Block 2, #12: skip this section.
  16. Block 2, #13: check the second box, then click Next.
  17. Confirm that the "Internet Access and/or Telecommunications" box is checked, then click Next.
  18. Type your library's Entity Number into the text box, then click Search.
  19. Click on your library's name in the column named "Selection List" so that it is highlighted, then click Add to move it to the Billed Entity column. Click Next.
  20. Click Next again.
  21. Block 5: check box 16b, and boxes 18 through 24.
  22. Block 5, 27a: type your name. 27b: type your title (but do not check the box under 27b). 27c: type the library's mailing address. 27d: type the library's phone number. 27e: type the library's fax number (use the phone number again if the library does not have a fax number). 27f: type your email address, and re-enter it in the second text box. 27g: type the library's complete name. Click Next.
  23. Click Print Preview to review the form in its entirety. If it is correct, print a copy of the form for your records, then close the print preview window.
  24. Click Submit.
  25. To certify the application, you must either submit an electronic or a paper certification. If you have a PIN, you should click Electronic Certification; if you do not, you should click Paper Certification.
  26. For electronic certification: type your PIN into #25, check the box named "Please Check to affirm your compliance", then click Done. Click OK on the pop-up that appears and print a copy of this page for your records.
  27. For paper certification: print a copy of this page, sign your name to #25 and date at #26 in pen. Make a photocopy of the certification pages for your records, and send the certification with the ink signature to the listed address.