E-Rate glossary: BEN, SPIN, FRN, FCDL, PIA and more

The short answer

Applicants are identified by a BEN, providers by a SPIN (also called a 498 ID). Each funding request is an FRN.
The forms in order: 470 (request bids), 471 (request funding), 486 (services started), then 472 BEAR or 474 SPI (invoices). Providers also file 498 once and the 473 SPAC every year.
"FRN" means two things: a Funding Request Number, and, at the FCC, an FCC Registration Number. This glossary calls the second an FCC RN.

People and numbers

E-Rate: The Schools and Libraries Program of the federal Universal Service Fund. It discounts eligible broadband and internal network services for schools and libraries by 20% to 90%.Source: USAC overview
FCC: The Federal Communications Commission writes the E-Rate rules (47 CFR Part 54, Subpart F), oversees USAC and decides appeals and waiver requests.Source: FCC 26-30
USAC: The Universal Service Administrative Company, the nonprofit that administers E-Rate and the other universal service programs for the FCC. On October 15, 2026 the Fifth Circuit ruled the FCC lacked authority to create it; the decision isn't in effect yet (see E-Rate news).Source: USAC
SLD: Schools and Libraries Division: the older name for the part of USAC that runs E-Rate. It still appears in older documents and file names.
EPC: The E-Rate Productivity Center, USAC's portal where applicants and providers file and certify forms, track status and receive USAC letters in their News feed.Source: USAC
BEN: Billed Entity Number: the number EPC assigns to each applicant entity. A district and each of its schools have their own BENs.Source: USAC glossary
SPIN (498 ID): Service Provider Identification Number, now also called the 498 ID: the nine-digit number USAC assigns when a provider's Form 498 is approved. Applicants put it on their funding requests, and USAC pays against it.Source: USAC glossary
FCC RN: FCC Registration Number, issued through the FCC's CORES system. It's the first registration a new provider gets, before Form 498. The FCC also abbreviates it FRN, which isn't the same as a Funding Request Number.Source: USAC, getting started
SAM.gov UEI: Providers and applicants that file BEAR invoices need an active SAM.gov registration and Unique Entity ID on their Form 498, under the same tax ID as their FCC RN. Since September 8, 2026, USAC pays to the bank account linked in SAM.gov. Activation can take 4 to 6 weeks.Source: USAC, SAM.gov UEI
Consortium: A group of schools and libraries that seeks bids or applies together. Its discount is the average of its members'; for Category 2, each member's own discount applies.Source: USAC, calculating discounts
Incumbent: Industry shorthand, not a program term, for the provider that holds an applicant's work today. Incumbents get no preference in bidding: every bidder must be treated the same. See finding the incumbent.Source: USAC, competitive bidding

Forms and steps

FCC Form 470: Description of Services Requested: the applicant posts it in EPC to open competitive bidding. A multi-year contract from an earlier 470 doesn't need a new one until it expires. From funding year 2028 the FCC has ordered bids and bidder questions to go through a USAC bidding portal.Source: USAC; FCC 26-30
Allowable contract date (ACD): The earliest day an applicant may choose a provider, sign a contract or certify its 471: day 29, counting the 470's certification day as day 1. A substantial change to the 470 restarts the 28 days. Try the ACD calculator.Source: USAC, 28-day waiting period
FCC Form 471: Services Ordered and Certification: the applicant's funding request, listing each service, the provider's SPIN and the entities served. It must be certified inside the filing window.Source: USAC
FRN: Funding Request Number: one funding request on a Form 471, for one provider and one contract or service. USAC reviews, commits and pays by FRN.Source: USAC
PIA review: Program Integrity Assurance: USAC's review of each Form 471 for eligibility, discounts, contracts and competitive bidding. PIA questions usually have to be answered within 15 days.Source: USAC, application review
FCDL: Funding Commitment Decision Letter: USAC's decision on each FRN after review, posted to the applicant's and provider's EPC News feeds. Either can appeal it.Source: USAC
FCC Form 486: Receipt of Service Confirmation: the applicant confirms services started and certifies CIPA compliance, within 120 days of the service start or the FCDL, whichever is later. Eliminated from funding year 2028, when CIPA certification moves to the 471.Source: USAC; FCC 26-30
FCC Form 472 (BEAR): Billed Entity Applicant Reimbursement: the applicant pays the provider in full, then files the BEAR to be reimbursed the discount. The provider's Form 473 must be on file.Source: USAC, two methods of invoicing
FCC Form 474 (SPI): Service Provider Invoice: the provider bills the applicant only its share and invoices USAC for the discount. Invoice deadlines changed on June 18, 2026; see invoice deadlines.Source: USAC, invoicing
FCC Form 473 (SPAC): Service Provider Annual Certification: filed once per SPIN for each funding year, by June 30 of that year. USAC won't pay any BEAR or SPI invoice for the year without it.Source: USAC, Form 473
FCC Form 498: The provider's identification and remittance form. Filing it gets you a SPIN; banking and contact changes are made by updating it.Source: USAC
Service substitution: A change to the products or services on a 471, requested in EPC by the applicant or provider before the last date to receive service. The substitute must do the same job and fit the original 470 or RFP, and funding is based on the lower price.Source: USAC, service substitutions

Services and money

Category 1: Services that bring broadband to the school or library: data transmission and internet access.Source: USAC glossary
Category 2: Services that carry broadband inside the building: internal connections, managed internal broadband services and basic maintenance. Subject to a five-year budget.Source: USAC glossary
Internal connections: Equipment and services that carry broadband inside eligible buildings, such as switches, access points, firewalls and cabling. From funding year 2026, software and remote services are requested with the equipment they support.Source: FY2026 Eligible Services List
MIBS: Managed Internal Broadband Services: a third party operating, managing and monitoring the eligible parts of a school's or library's network. The proposed FY2027 Eligible Services List asks whether to limit it or make it ineligible.Source: 47 CFR 54.500; DA 26-647
BMIC: Basic Maintenance of Internal Connections: repair and upkeep of eligible equipment, needed for it to work. From funding year 2026, it covers on-site work only.Source: FY2026 Eligible Services List
Eligible Services List (ESL): The FCC's list of what's eligible in a funding year, adopted after public comment. School bus Wi-Fi and off-premises hotspots were made ineligible in 2025.Source: FY2026 ESL
Category 2 budget: A five-year, pre-discount cap on Category 2 per district or library system. For FY2026 to FY2030: $201.57 per student, $5.43 per library square foot, and a $30,175 floor ($66,385 for Tribal libraries). See any district's in the C2 budget lookup.Source: USAC, Category Two budgets
Discount rate: The share of eligible costs E-Rate pays, from 20% to 90% for Category 1 and 20% to 85% for Category 2, set by NSLP eligibility and urban or rural status. Try the discount calculator.Source: USAC discount matrix
NSLP: The National School Lunch Program. The share of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch is the poverty measure behind E-Rate discounts.Source: USAC
CEP multiplier: Schools on the Community Eligibility Provision multiply their directly certified students by 1.6, up to total enrollment, to get the eligible count for E-Rate.Source: USAC News Brief

Rules and dates

Funding year: July 1 through the following June 30. Funding year 2027 runs July 1, 2027 to June 30, 2028.Source: USAC overview
Filing window: The period each year when applicants may certify Form 471s. FY2026's ran January 21 to April 1, 2026; FY2027's dates haven't been announced. See the E-Rate calendar.Source: USAC
Lowest corresponding price (LCP): Providers may not charge E-Rate applicants more than the lowest price they charge similar non-residential customers in their service area, whether or not the applicant asks. Promotional rates lasting more than 90 days count.Source: USAC, LCP
Red Light Rule: If an entity owes the FCC a delinquent debt, action on its applications is held and USAC withholds or offsets its payments until the debt is resolved.Source: 47 CFR 1.1910
CIPA: The Children's Internet Protection Act. Applicants receiving internet access or Category 2 must have an internet safety policy, a filter, and a public hearing on the policy.Source: USAC, CIPA

Questions providers ask

What's the difference between a BEN and a SPIN?

A BEN identifies an applicant (a school, district or library). A SPIN, or 498 ID, identifies a service provider.

What does FRN stand for in E-Rate?

Usually Funding Request Number, one request on a Form 471. The FCC also uses FRN for its FCC Registration Number, which this glossary calls an FCC RN.

What's the difference between BEAR and SPI?

With BEAR (Form 472) the applicant pays the provider in full and is reimbursed. With SPI (Form 474) the provider bills the applicant its share and invoices USAC for the discount.

E-Rate glossary