Is the Form 471 public?

Yes. Certified Form 471 filings — including the FRNs they contain, the SPIN of the winning vendor, the requested amount, and the funding decision — are published on opendata.usac.org.

Can one applicant file more than one Form 471 in a year?

Yes. Applicants may file multiple Form 471s in a single funding year — for example, one for Category 1 services and a separate one for Category 2.

What happens if Form 471 is denied?

If a Form 471 or specific FRN is denied, the applicant can appeal to USAC and, if necessary, to the FCC. Denied FRNs are still part of the public record.

What's the difference between a Form 470 and a Form 471?

Form 470 opens the competitive-bidding window. Form 471 requests the actual funding commitment after a vendor is selected.

FCC Form 471

What is Form 471?

Published May 7, 2026

Quick answer

Form 471 is the funding request a school or library files with USAC after the Form 470 28-day window closes and a vendor is selected. It lists each service contract as a Funding Request Number (FRN) and triggers USAC review for an E-Rate funding commitment.

What is a Form 471 used for?

Form 471 turns a competitive-bidding outcome into an actual funding request. The applicant identifies the winning service provider by SPIN, attaches the contract or month-to-month service agreement, and lists each line of service as a separate Funding Request Number (FRN).

USAC's Program Integrity Assurance (PIA) team reviews the 471. If approved, USAC issues a Funding Commitment Decision Letter (FCDL) authorizing reimbursement up to the committed amount.

When is Form 471 due?

Form 471 is filed during USAC's annual filing window, which typically opens in mid-January and closes in late March for the following funding year. Funding year runs July 1 through June 30.

The exact open and close dates change each year. USAC publishes the filing-window schedule on usac.org/sl.

How does Form 471 produce FRNs?

Each FRN inside a Form 471 represents one contract or service request. A school district filing for internet service plus internal network equipment plus structured cabling would file one Form 471 with three FRNs.

FRNs are how E-Rate commitments, modifications, and disbursements are tracked. Every public USAC commitment record is an FRN-level row.

FAQ

Common questions

Is the Form 471 public?: Yes. Certified Form 471 filings — including the FRNs they contain, the SPIN of the winning vendor, the requested amount, and the funding decision — are published on opendata.usac.org.
Can one applicant file more than one Form 471 in a year?: Yes. Applicants may file multiple Form 471s in a single funding year — for example, one for Category 1 services and a separate one for Category 2.
What happens if Form 471 is denied?: If a Form 471 or specific FRN is denied, the applicant can appeal to USAC and, if necessary, to the FCC. Denied FRNs are still part of the public record.
What's the difference between a Form 470 and a Form 471?: Form 470 opens the competitive-bidding window. Form 471 requests the actual funding commitment after a vendor is selected.

Track this in real product data.

ERateSignal turns the public USAC datasets behind Form 471 into a working tool for E-Rate sellers — Form 470 alerts, SPIN market share, and territory analytics on the apex domain.

Form 470 alerts →SPIN market share →Join the waitlist →

This entry summarizes publicly available FCC and USAC guidance for educational purposes and is not legal or procurement advice. Verify all information directly with USAC or qualified counsel before making business decisions. ERateSignal is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by USAC, the FCC, or the U.S. Government.