The Federal Communications Commission has announced that, in
light of the COVID-19 emergency, it will defer substantive changes in the form used by
schools and libraries to solicit bids for services under the
federal universal service program, known as Form 470. As a result,
the form and process for funding year 2021 will be substantively
identical to the form and process schools and libraries have been
using for the current funding year.
Last October, the FCC announced plans to revise Form 470 to
address a formatting issue that confused some applicants, to reduce
administrative burdens on applicants and to address other issues.
The FCC concluded that, in light of “ongoing disruptions
caused by the COVID-19 pandemic,” it was prudent to defer
those changes “to allow schools and libraries to continue to
focus their time and resources on responding” to the
pandemic.
