Late last week, USAC announced an extension of the application deadline for Funding Year 2015 (July 1, 2015-June 30, 2015). FCC Form 471 applications must be submitted on or before 11:59:59 pm EDT on Thursday, April 16, 2015.

The extension is in response to consensus among applicants that more time is needed to complete Form 471. The form was revised to reflect changes from the FCC E-rate Modernization Order and must be submitted via a new online system. The new Form 471 and filing system are significantly more complex than in prior years and both have been challenging to navigate.

Although all complete applications received before 11:59 EDT on April 16 will be considered as timely filed, USAC is already reviewing applications and indicates that applications are being processed as they are received. This is important since the funding year begins on July 1, 2015 and, in light of the numerous changes to the program, the review process is likely to be more involved than in prior years. USAC advises applicants to be ready to promptly field questions regarding their applications. Historically, applications received after the filing deadlines were not funded and there is no reason to believe this year will be different.