Modifications to the FCC Form 470 or FCC Form 471 

Ministerial & Clerical Errors 

Applicants occasionally make data entry and other similar ministerial and clerical (M&C) errors on an FCC Form 470 or FCC Form 471. Applicants are permitted to correct ministerial and clerical errors and to modify their FCC Form 470, without restarting the 28-day waiting period, but only if the changes do not materially affect the original competitive bidding process.  

Allowable changes include: 

• Editing an application nickname; 

• Changing the main contact person and/or technical contact person; 

• Making minor, non-substantive updates to a request for proposal (RFP). * 

Requests to correct these types of FCC Form 470 M&C errors should be submitted to USAC using the E-Rate Productivity Center (EPC) as soon as the applicant detects the error. To request an FCC Form 470 correction, follow the submission instructions in the How to File an FCC Form 470 eLM.​  

* Note: Changes to the FCC Form 470, or associated RFP documents, beyond the allowable changes require applicants to restart the 28-day waiting period. 

Substantive Changes to the FCC Form 470 

Beginning in Funding Year 2025, applicants may make changes to a certified FCC Form 470 in EPC without canceling the form. If the changes would substantively affect the competitive bidding process (e.g., adding a new category of service), applicants can attach a new or updated RFP or RFP document to their certified FCC Form 470, answer a question in the system about the type of change(s) made, and the 28-day waiting period will be recalculated automatically in EPC based on when the change was made.   

For instructions on how to upload a new RFP or RFP document after certifying the FCC Form 470 and where to view the new Allowable Contract Date (ACD), please see the Uploading the RFP After Certification section of the How to File an FCC Form 470 eLM.​ 

FCC Form 471 Corrections 

The type of ministerial and clerical errors that applicants may correct on a certified FCC Form 471 include: 

• Spelling errors and transposed letters and numbers; 

• Simple addition, subtraction, multiplication or division errors, misplaced decimal points; 

• Punctuation marks (e.g., periods, commas) that were included, omitted or misplaced; 

• Incorrect citations such as: 
  • FCC Form 470 number; 
  • Contract number; 
  • Billing Account Number/Multiple Billing Account Numbers; 
  • FCC Form 471 Recipient of Service entity numbers; 

• Contact person and/or consultant information; 

• Dollar figures copied incorrectly from contracts; 

• Incorrect identification of ineligible charges and services or products; 

• Incorrect amount budgeted for ineligible services in FCC Form 471 Certification: Total Funding Summary; 

• Incorrect service delivery time period (e.g., month-to-month to contractual, recurring to non-recurring). 

• Incorrect service provider name or Service Provider Identification Number (SPIN), also known as the service provider’s 498 ID Errors that require Corrective SPIN changes. 

• Mischaracterizing non-recurring charges as recurring charges. 

Additional allowable corrections are discussed in the FCC’s Order DA 10-2354, released December 16, 2010. 

Applicants can submit FCC Form 471 corrections in EPC using the Receipt Acknowledgment Letter (RAL) modification process or during the Program Integrity Assurance (PIA) review. Please view the FCC Form 471 Receipt Acknowledgment Letter Modification Guide for more information. You will be informed in your Funding Commitment Decision Letter (FCDL) if your FCC Form 471 RAL modification request was approved. 

FCC Form 471 errors that do NOT qualify as M&C errors: 

• Underestimates of the quantities of services needed; 

• Services omitted due to a failure to recognize a need prior to filing one’s FCC Form 471; 

• Errors requiring Operational SPIN changes; 

• Changes to the services on the FCC Form 471 funding request (e.g., renegotiated contract terms or pricing); 

• Omitting an entity from the discount calculation if it was not listed in the original source document; 

• Revising National School Lunch Program (NSLP) data dated after the close of the application filing window; 

• Changes based on service provider documentation that is dated after the close of the application filing window. 

Errors Detected During PIA Review 

Your PIA reviewer may detect a discrepancy between your FCC Form 471 and the provided source documentation (e.g., contract) during the review of your application. If so, your PIA reviewer will ask if you would like to correct the application and will provide you 15 days to respond. 

If you do not respond within the allotted 15 days, your reviewer will process your application with the information available, potentially resulting in a reduction or denial of funding.