E-rate Form 486 - FY2016 (July 1, 2016 - June 30, 2017)

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.

After receiving your Funding Commitment Decision Letter (FCDL), you are able to submit your Form 486 for the current fiscal year. You will have 120 days after the receipt of your FDCL to complete this form without penalty.

Some files below require the free Adobe Reader.

Download the Form 486 instructions to download the PDF instructions.

View the Form 486 E-rate training video on Youtube.

  1. Go to Apply Online for Form 486.
  2. Enter your Billed Entity Number (BEN) and click Find.
  3. Click Start New Form 486.
  4. Enter in your Applicant's Form Identifier (this is a code you create to keep track of this form.)
  5. Select the current funding year from the drop-down menu at "3. Funding Year."
  6. Type in your name in the text box next to "Contact Person Name."
  7. Check the box labelled "Contact information is the same as in Item #4."
  8. Click the circle next to "Email" and enter in your email address (if not already entered), then click Next.
  9. Print the page containing your Form 486 Number and Security Code, then click "Next."
  10. On Block 2, click Next.
  11. Check the box next to 8. Choose "Other" from the drop-down menu and type "NONE" into the text box. (Note: if you are receiving reimbursement for a smartphone data plan, choose "Maine State Library" from the drop-down menu.)
  12. Check the boxes next to 9 and 10.
  13. Check the box next to 11c and click Next. (Note: if you are receiving reimbursement for a smartphone data plan, check box 11a.)
  14. Fill in the FRN, SPIN and service start date (generally July 1st) and click Next.. If you have multiple FRNs, click "Add" to insert another row for each additional FRN, and enter in the respective SPIN and service start date for each.
  15. Complete all information in Block 4 : Signature and click Next.
  16. Click Print Preview and print a copy for your records, then click Submit.

Page by page guidance for the online Form 486 for telephone service and smartphones. [VERY large file, 10 MB, save to desktop then open.]