EPC Administrative Window

The E-Rate Productivity Center (EPC) administrative window is the period during which applicants can make updates to their entity profile information in EPC to prepare for the upcoming FCC Form 471 application filing window.

Some of the changes that can be made during this time include:

• Student Count
• National School Lunch Program (NSLP) numbers
• Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) numbers
• Library square footage
• Associated individuals and entities, including consulting firms
• Tribal status

Each year, USAC updates applicant profiles in EPC using the reviewed and approved profile information from their current year FCC Forms 471. Therefore, it is important to review your entity profile information regularly, to ensure that it contains the most current information.

• We do this so that applicants can start the application process for the upcoming funding year with information in their profiles that is accurate as of the date of their Funding Commitment Decision Letter (FCDL).

The administrative window closes – and the applicant profiles are locked – shortly before the FCC Form 471 application filing window opens in January.

Below is a summary of the entity profile formats and the information USAC collects:

Category Two (C2) Budget Information

The current five-year C2 budget cycle started with Funding Year (FY) 2021. School districts and library systems will have a separate section on their profile pages for C2 budget information. Once an applicant has an approved C2 funding request, C2 budgets are fixed for the full five-year cycle through FY2025.  However, budgeted entities can request a budget recalculation if they had changes in their student count or square footage from the previous funding year that would result in a C2 budget increase. If an entity requests a C2 budget recalculation, USAC recalculates the entity’s budget and subtracts previous C2 funding request allocations from the updated budget amount.

Schools and school districts report their student counts for two purposes – to calculate their discount rate and to calculate their C2 budget.

• Student counts for the discount calculation are reported in the individual school profiles.
• Student counts for the C2 budget calculation can be reported in the individual school profiles or as a single number in the school district profile. The C2 budget section of the school district profile will offer an option to manage the student counts for individual schools in the school district.

Libraries and library systems  report the square footage in their library branch profiles. The C2 budget section of the library or library system’s profile page features the total square footage for all the library branches in the library system.

School Entity Subtypes

There are several entity subtypes for schools. Some examples are general-use school, detention center, and swing space.

• A general-use school offers instruction to students drawn from other schools, and student counts can change throughout the year. Some examples of general-use schools are magnet schools, vocational schools, special education units, computer centers, or career centers.
• A detention center is treated in the same way as a juvenile justice facility. To be eligible for discounts, the state’s law must include education for students in juvenile justice facilities within its definition of elementary and/or secondary education.
• A swing space temporarily houses students from a school which is considered the “main entity” or original location of the student population. The students may need to be temporarily relocated due to closure, construction, or a revamping of their technological infrastructure at the school.
  • Note that a swing space differs from an annex. An annex is considered a part of the school it shares an entity number with rather than a temporary relocation site, while a swing space – although associated with a school – is part of the school district where the school is located and is considered a school in its own right with its own entity number.

Fields to Check for Accurate Entries

All Billed Entities

• Verify that your FCC Registration Number (FCC RN) is correct. If your application includes child entities (individual schools in a school district or library branches in a library system), you do not need FCC RNs for child entities.
• Review your address and contact information and make any necessary updates. If you have child entities, review and update their information as well.

School Districts

• If you decide to report the total number of students in your district for the purpose of calculating your C2 budget, provide that number in your school district profile.
• If you decide to report the number of students in each individual school profile for the purpose of calculating your C2 budget, make sure you report a positive number of students.
  • Exceptions: The following school subtypes can have a zero student count: juvenile justice, new construction, general-use school, detention center, and swing space.
• Update the student counts for each of your schools for the purpose of calculating your discount rate and provide the appropriate entries for National School Lunch Program (NSLP) eligibility or an equivalent measure of poverty (CEP, survey, etc.).

Library Systems

• Review the entries for the square footage of each of your library branches to make sure they are correct.
• Bookmobiles and kiosks must have a positive square footage to be included in the library system’s C2 budget calculation.
• Verify that you have identified the library branch that serves as the main branch for your library system.

Tribal Libraries

• If your library is affiliated with a federally recognized Tribe, check the Tribal Library box under Summary – Applicant Info in your entity’s EPC Profile.
• If your library is affiliated with a federally recognized Tribal College or University Library, check the Tribal College/University Library (for public use) box under Summary – Applicant Info in your entity’s EPC Profile.
• You will also need to indicate your Tribal affiliation using the available drop-down menu.

Consortia

• Review your list of consortium members to make sure it is accurate. You can add or remove consortium members through the Manage Organization Relationships function in your consortium profile.
• Remind your members to update their entity profiles so that their discount calculations and other program information will be accurate.
• Consortia cannot replace individual members’ C2 budgets. Individual consortia members eligible for C2 funding will need to request their replacement budgets before filing the C2 application.