May 3, 2013

Commitments for Funding Years 2012 and 2011

Funding Year 2012. USAC will release Funding Year (FY) 2012 Wave 42 Funding Commitment Decision Letters (FCDLs) May 7. This wave includes commitments for approved Priority 2 (Internal Connections and Basic Maintenance) requests at 90 percent and denials at 89 percent and below. As of May 3, FY2012 commitments total just under $2.17 billion.

Funding Year 2011. USAC will release FY2011 Wave 91 FCDLs May 8. This wave includes commitments for approved Priority 2 requests at 88 percent and above and denials at 87 percent and below. As of May 3, FY2011 commitments total over $2.57 billion.

On the day the FCDLs are mailed, you can check to see if you have a commitment by using USAC's Automated Search of Commitments tool.

Fall Applicant Training Dates and Locations

Each year, USAC conducts eight training sessions for applicants around the country. Following are the dates and locations for the training sessions for 2013:

To register or to get hotel information, visit the Trainings & Outreach page on the USAC website.

May 15 Deadline for Item 21 Attachments and FCC Form 471 Certifications

The May 15 deadline for submitting FY2013 Item 21 attachments and FCC Form 471 certifications is fast approaching. We have included information below for those applicants that have not completed one or both of these important steps in the FY2013 application process.

• If you do not submit an Item 21 attachment on or before May 15, the Block 5 Funding Request Number (FRN) associated with that Item 21 attachment will be considered out-of-window. You can submit an Item 21 attachment online, by email, or by fax on or before May 15; you can also postmark a paper Item 21 attachment on or before May 15.
• If you do not certify your FCC Form 471 on or before May 15, your form will be considered out-of-window. You can certify an FCC Form 471 online on or before May 15 if you have a PIN; you can also postmark a paper certification on or before May 15.

USAC has posted a List of FRNs for FY2013 Missing Item 21 Attachments and a list of FCC Forms 471 Not Yet Certified on its website. Note that these lists are static – you can find information at the top of each list about the dates the entries on the lists were identified and which forms or FRNs are included.

• To check the status of an FCC Form 471, use the View 471 Status tool.
• To check the status of an Item 21 attachment filed online, use the online Item 21 Attachment button on the Apply Online page.
• To ask about the status of an Item 21 attachment filed by email, fax, or paper, you can call the Client Service Bureau. Be sure to have handy your FCC Form 471 application number, the method of submission (email, fax, or paper), and the date of your submission.

- ITEM 21 ATTACHMENTS

The Item 21 attachment contains a detailed description of the products and services you are requesting. You provide an attachment number in Item 21 of each FCC Form 471 Block 5 funding request that will correspond with your Item 21 attachment, and then you submit that Item 21 attachment separately from the application.

NOTE: You must provide an Item 21 attachment for EACH FRN on your FCC Form 471. Also, if you are filing your Item 21 attachment online, you MUST click on the Submit button on the last page for your Item 21 attachment to be considered submitted.

• Clicking "Save & Exit" allows you to save your work and return later.
• Clicking "Submit" submits your Item 21 attachment to USAC and returns a time-stamped confirmation page.

Following are some specific tips for Item 21 attachments for each of the four categories of service – Telecommunications Services, Internet Access, Internal Connections, and Basic Maintenance of Internal Connections. If you include the information suggested in the tips, your PIA reviewer will be able to more easily make determinations of the eligibility of the components of each of your funding requests. For details on each of these tips, refer to the Item 21 Attachments guidance document on the USAC website.

Telecommunications Services

• Provide the specific type(s) of service requested.
• Provide the number of lines, including the number of extensions.
• For digital transmission services, provide the bandwidth.
• If you are submitting a copy of your bill as all or part of your Item 21 attachment:
  • Pick a bill that represents your typical monthly costs. One month is generally sufficient.
  • Make sure the dollar amount of the bill is typical of your monthly costs and supports your request.
  • Include the page(s) that detail any miscellaneous charges and/or credits.
  • Identify any ineligible charges.

Internet Access

• For digital transmission circuit(s) for basic conduit access to the Internet, provide the bandwidth of the services you are requesting.
• If you are requesting web hosting services, ask your service provider for a cost allocation and include it with your attachment.
• Clearly identify the total cost of the service as well the percentage of the total cost for which you are seeking funding.

Internal Connections

• For all Internal Connections requests, provide the make and model number and the quantity of any equipment included in your funding request.
• For bundled products, in addition to the make and model numbers, provide the SKU (stock-keeping unit, a unique identifying number assigned by a company to each of its products and/or services).
• Equipment that can be used in both eligible and ineligible ways should have its function or functions clearly identified with an appropriate cost allocation.

Basic Maintenance of Internal Connections

• Provide a list of all of the equipment being supported by the basic maintenance.
• State the basic maintenance tasks that you estimate will be performed and the costs associated with those tasks.
• If your basic maintenance contract includes both eligible and ineligible equipment, be sure you can provide a clearly identifiable price for the ineligible equipment.

Your service provider(s) can assist you with creating your Item 21 attachment. Your service provider may have specific details that USAC needs, which may include network diagrams, SKUs, or other information not readily available to you. Be sure also to share with your service provider a copy of the Item 21 attachment you submit to USAC.

Submitting your Item 21 attachment(s)

Here are your options for submitting your Item 21 attachment(s):

1. File online using the Item 21 Attachment button on the Apply Online page. You will need your Billed Entity Number, your FCC Form 471 application number, and your security code. (You cannot file your attachment online if you submitted your FCC Form 471 on paper.)

2. Attach your submission to an email message and email it to USAC.

3. Fax your submission to: (973) 599-6511.

4. Mail your submission to:

SLD Forms
Form 471 - Item 21 Attachment
P.O. Box 7026
Lawrence, KS 66044-7026

5. Send your submission by delivery service to:

SLD Forms
ATTN: Form 471 - Item 21 Attachment
3833 Greenway Drive
Lawrence, KS 66046
TELEPHONE: 1-888-203-8100

If you are using the View 471 Status tool to check your status, remember that the tool will only show the status of an FCC Form 471, not the status of each FRN on that form.

- FCC FORM 471 CERTIFICATIONS

To certify online, you must have a PIN and the security code for the FCC Form 471 you filed online:

• Go to the Apply Online page and click the Certify Complete button in the Form 471 column.
• Enter your application number and security code and click Electronic Certification.
• On the resulting page, you must enter your PIN and check the box to affirm that you understand that the use of your PIN is the same as your written signature.
• When you click the Done button at the bottom of the page, the system will return a CertID, a unique number that confirms your successful certification. We suggest that you click OK on the popup box and then print a copy of the resulting certification page, which will feature your CertID in the signature line as proof of your successful online certification.

To certify on paper:

• Go to the Apply Online page and click the Certify Complete button in the Form 471 column.
• Enter your application number and security code and click Paper Certification.
• You will see your Block 6 certification page with the information you entered when you submitted your form online. Print out a copy of the page, sign and date it, and send it to the address at the bottom of the page. You are advised to keep proof of postmark or delivery.
• If you cannot access the certification function online (if, for example, you cannot find your security code), you can print pages 6, 7, and 8 of a paper FCC Form 471, fill them out with the information you provided when you filed online, and sign, date, and submit them as above. Note that USAC may contact you to request corrections if the information on your paper certification is inconsistent with the information you provided when you filed online.

After you successfully certify your FCC Form 471, the status of that form will change to "Certified - Out Of Window" on the View 471 Status tool. Once all of the paper certifications postmarked on or before May 15 have been processed, USAC will move all applications with timely filed certifications (both online and on paper) in-window.

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