All About E-Rate Service Substitution Requests

At HWC Consultants, we assist schools and school districts, pre-K and Head Start Programs, and libraries with applying for the E-Rate program - both Categories One and Two. In this blog post, we will review what a Service Substitution is and how to request one.

A Service Substitution is an important step when needing to request a change to a product and/or service on your Form 471 after your application has been approved. Therefore, you can only request a Service Substitution after you have received a Funding Commitment Decision Letter (FCDL) (click here to learn about the FCDL process).

For a Service Substitution request to be approved, the FCC has certain criteria that must be met:

• The products or services being substituted must have the same functionality as those in the original proposal.

• The products or services being substituted cannot violate contract provisions or state procurement laws.

• The products or services being substituted cannot result in an increase in the percentage of ineligible services or functions.

• The requested change must be relevant to the original products or services listed on the Form 470.

It is also important to note that the costs of the product and/or service can not exceed the amount already approved on the Form 471.

Service Substitution requests must be filed online in the E-Rate Productivity Center (EPC). The Service Substitution request must be filed on or before the last day to receive service for that FRN (as specified on the Form 471). USAC will respond in writing to approve the request or provide information on why the request was not approved.

Detailed instructions provided by USAC for submitting a Service Substitution can be found here.

HWC Consultants are experts in E-Rate consulting, as well as telecom expense management, telecom contract negotiation, and telecom project management. Reach out to us for all of your E-Rate and telecom needs!