Extra staff have now been added to our Client Service Bureau to take your calls every weekday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern Time. The Schools and Libraries Corporation has been contacted by a number of Universal Service Fund applicants who believe their Forms 471 were rejected simply because they weren't signed in blue ink. While we've encouraged applicants to sign their Form 470 in other than black ink, blue ink is NOT a requirement. In reviewing all applications, our data analysis staff checks for an original signature in Block 6.
Applications signed in blue ink or in any color other than black clearly stand out as original.
If a signature is NOT an original, the application will be rejected. The rejection letter contains the suggestion that the original signature be signed in an ink color other than black. Please include a cover letter confirming that the signature on the application was an original when first submitted. We apologize for any inconvenience or confusion.