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If You Missed the Form 471 Deadline

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If You Missed the Form 471 Deadline

Good morning E-Rate Community,

If you were unable to file your Form 471 application by the March 26th, 2025, deadline, please know you still have options. In previous years, the FCC has been very lenient if the application is filed within 14 days of the deadline. To meet the 14-day “extension”, you should submit the form on or before Wednesday, April 9th, 2025. You will then need to submit a Request for Deadline Waiver appeal to the FCC to have your application considered as timely filed.

Please follow these steps:

  1. Submit the Form 471 in EPC on or before Wednesday, April 9th, 2025. The status will be listed as “Filed Outside of Window”.
  2. After submitting Form 471, download a copy of the template letter “FCC Waiver Appeal Letter” and “FCC Waiver Appeal Instructions” I’ve provided on my website at https://www.ohio-k12.help/e-rate-support/resource-library/ and complete the red-highlighted areas with your specific information. Include a statement to the FCC explaining the reason for missing the deadline and what this funding means to your school or library.
  3. Go to: https://www.fcc.gov/ecfs/filings and follow the instructions on the “FCC Waiver Appeal Instructions” document and upload a copy of the completed letter. Be sure to hit ‘Submit’ on the second page of the online form, and document the confirmation number. You can also choose to have it emailed to you.

Note: The FCC Waiver Letter does NOT need to be submitted by April 9th, but be sure to submit it as soon as you can after the 471 is filed. The FCC releases bulk appeal/waiver decisions on the last day of each month, and if and when your waiver is approved, you will receive an email from the FCC. Please note that there is no requirement for them to decide Form 471 deadline waiver requests within a certain timeframe, although most decisions are issued within three months of the waiver filing date.

If you have questions or need assistance, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Sincerely,

Lorrie

Lorrie Germann
State E-Rate Coordinator
On behalf of the Ohio Department of Education
lorrie.germann@education.ohio.gov
www.ohio-k12.help/erate
Office: 740-223-2420
Cell: 740-253-1153