March 14, 2014

Commitments for Funding Year 2013

Funding Year 2013. USAC will release Funding Year (FY) 2013 Wave 43 Funding Commitment Decision Letters (FCDLs) March 19. This wave includes commitments for approved Priority 1 (Telecommunications Services and Internet Access) requests at all discount levels and denials for Priority 2 (Internal Connections and Basic Maintenance) requests at 90 percent and below. As of March 14, FY2013 commitments total over $1.97 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.

Service Provider Training Update

The two May training sessions for service provider are filling up quickly. Be sure to register soon if you are interested in attending a session.

As a reminder, here are the dates and locations of the training sessions:

• Thursday, May 8 at the Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay, Tampa, Florida.
• Tuesday, May 13 at the Westin Los Angeles Airport Hotel, Los Angeles, California.

Registration and hotel reservation information are both available on the Trainings & Outreach page on the USAC website. If you have any questions, you can email USAC.

CSB Extended Hours

To assist applicants with last-minute issues, the Client Service Bureau (CSB) extends its hours during the last few days of the filing window. A chart of the extended hours for the FY2014 filing window appears below.

Please note the following:

• This year CSB has also extended its hours during the evening before the window closes (see text in red below).
• CSB will continue to handle any calls that come in during the half-hour after the window has closed.

Filing Reminders for Item 21 Attachments

The Item 21 attachment – a description of service required for each Block 5 funding request on the FCC Form 471 – is a window filing requirement. This means it must be received (if filed online, by email or fax, or hand-delivered) or postmarked (if filed on paper and sent by delivery service or U.S. Mail) by 11:59 PM EDT on March 26, 2014.

If you intend to file online:

In order to file an Item 21 attachment online, you must have filed your FCC Form 471 online. To file your Item 21 attachment online, go to the Apply Online page and click on the Item 21 Attachment button in the FCC Form 471 column. You will need the following information to access your FRN(s) and complete your Item 21 attachment(s):

• Billed Entity Number
• FCC Form 471 application number
• Security code
• Any documentation – such as bid responses, contracts, or service descriptions – that contains information on the services you are seeking.

The online system will walk you through the process of filing. You can even bring funding request information from your FRNs into the online Item 21 attachment so that you can verify your calculations. The system will warn you if the total dollar figure on your attachment doesn't match the total dollar figure on the associated FRN and allow you to make adjustments.

Remember to provide the following:

• For telecommunication services, the number of lines and extensions.
• For digital transmission services, the bandwidth.
• For Internet access, the bandwidth or the type of circuit.
• For equipment, the make, model, and SKU (stock-keeping unit).
• For basic maintenance, the equipment being maintained.

Your online Item 21 attachment has not been submitted until you click the Submit button on the last screen. If you need to make changes to your online attachment after you have submitted it, you must submit a revised attachment using another filing option – you cannot revise online an attachment filed online after you click the Submit button.

If you intend to file on paper:

Although we often refer to other filing methods as "filing on paper," you have three options other than online filing. You should refer to the Item 21 Attachments guidance document on the USAC website for the specific information you need to provide in your attachment. Be sure to include the following information on each page of your submission:

• FCC Form 471 application number
• Funding Request Number
• Item 21 attachment number (the number you entered in Item 21 of the FCC Form 471)
• Name of the person that can answer questions about your submission along with contact information (email, fax number, and/or telephone number)
• Billed Entity Number

If your submission contains attachments for multiple FRNs, clearly identify the FRN associated with each attachment.

• To file by email, attach your completed attachment to an email message and email it to USAC.
• To file by fax, fax your completed attachment to (973) 599-6511.
• To file by mail, mail your completed attachment to SLD Forms, FCC Form 471 - Item 21 Attachment, P.O. Box 7026, Lawrence, KS 66044-7026.
• To file using a delivery service, send your completed attachment to SLD Forms, ATTN: FCC Form 471 - Item 21 Attachment, 3833 Greenway Drive, Lawrence, KS 66046, Telephone: 1-888-203-8100.

Again, for detailed information and examples, refer to the Item 21 Attachments guidance document on the USAC website.

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