September 23, 2016

Commitments for Funding Year 2016

Funding Year 2016. USAC is scheduled to release Funding Year (FY) 2016 Wave 14 Funding Commitment Decision Letters (FCDLs) on September 26. This wave includes commitments for approved applications for all service types and at all discount levels. As of September 23, FY2016 commitments total over $579.8 million.

On the date the FCDLs are issued, you can access your FCDL notification from the Notifications section of your landing page in the E-rate Productivity Center (EPC).

September 30, 2016 Deadline for Delivery and Installation of FY2015 Non-recurring Services 

September 30 following the funding year is generally the deadline for delivery and installation of non-recurring services. Although September 30, 2016 is the deadline for FY2015 non-recurring services if no extension has been granted, it can also be the deadline for services from earlier funding years for which you have received an extension.

If delivery and installation of FY2015 non-recurring services will not be completed by September 30 for reasons beyond the service provider's control, you can request a service delivery extension.

• The applicant must request a service delivery extension by filing the request on an FCC Form 500. Requests that come directly from a service provider cannot be processed.
• Your request must be received or postmarked on or before September 30. Requests received or postmarked after this deadline cannot be processed. 

Also, you should check the expiration date on your contract and, if necessary, extend your contract and notify USAC of the new contract expiration date. Again, the applicant notifies USAC of the new contract expiration date by filing an FCC Form 500. USAC will not pay for services delivered after the contract expiration date on file or after the original (or extended) service delivery deadline. Remember also that your contract must allow for an extension.

As a reminder, the FCC Form 500 can only be filed on paper – there is no online option for submitting these requests.

Invoice Deadline Reminders for FY2015 Recurring Services 

In general, October 28, 2016 is the deadline to submit an invoice to USAC for FY2015 recurring services. We provided reminders on the various forms that applicants and service providers file in the September 2 SL News Brief, and detailed information on filing the FCC Form 498 in the August 12 SL News Brief. Because of the impending October 28 deadline, we are reiterating or expanding on some of that information so that applicants and service providers will be able to complete the necessary steps in a timely manner.

Invoice deadline

The deadline for submitting invoices is 120 days after the last day to receive service or 120 days after the date of the FCC Form 486 Notification Letter, whichever is later. For most applicants and service providers, the invoice deadline for FY2015 recurring services is 120 days after June 30, the last day to deliver recurring services for FY2015.

FCC Form 498

Starting this year, applicants must file – and USAC must approve – an FCC Form 498 if the applicant wants to pay for services in full to the service provider and then receive reimbursement from USAC by filing an FCC Form 472, Billed Entity Applicant Reimbursement (BEAR) Form.

If you intend to file a BEAR Form for FY2015 recurring services and you have not filed – or USAC has not approved – an FCC Form 498, file an invoice deadline extension NOW (see below). This way you have additional time if the filing or the approval process takes longer than you expect.

Again, for guidance on what information you will need to have ready to file your FCC Form 498, refer to the August 12 SL News Brief.

Follow the guidance below to avoid the most common applicant problems:

• The account administration must grant "School or Library Official" filing rights to the person authorized to file and certify an FCC Form 498. If no one in your organization has these rights, the FCC Form 498 option will not appear in the organization's profile.
• Make sure the Federal Employer Identification Number (FEIN) or Tax ID Number you provided when you registered for your Federal Communications Commission Registration Number (FCC RN) matches the number you provide on your FCC Form 498. If it does not, you will have to correct the incorrect number before USAC can process your form.
  • TIP: Go to the Search Public Information page of the CORES website and search for your FEIN (choose "EIN" from the dropdown menu, enter your FEIN or Tax ID Number, and click the "SEARCH" button. If you have an FCC RN but your search returns no results, you can call the FCC at (877) 480-3201 or email their helpdesk and ask that your FEIN or Tax ID be associated with your FCC RN.
• Enter your bank routing number in the field marked "ACH Financial Institution Transit Number" and your bank account number in the field marked "Financial Institution Account Number for ACH."
• When USAC reviews your FCC Form 498 and asks for documentation of your bank account information, you should ask for permissible alternative documentation if you cannot produce a canceled check or bank statement.
• Call the USAC Helpline at (888) 641-8722 and choose option 5 (FCC Form 498) and then option 1 or 2 if you still need help.

BEAR Form

BEAR Forms are filed in the legacy system, not the E-rate Productivity Center. Consequently, you must have a Personal Identification Number (PIN) to log in to the legacy system and file a BEAR Form.

PINs issued by USAC in the past can still be used to file BEAR Forms. Remember that a PIN is specific to a user and a billed entity number (BEN), so if you file BEAR Forms for more than one billed entity, you must have a PIN for each. You can call the Client Service Bureau (CSB) if you do not have a PIN, and they can request that one be issued to you.

Again, if you intend to file a BEAR Form for FY2015 recurring services and you do not now have a PIN, file an invoice deadline extension NOW (see below). PINs can take several weeks to be generated.

Invoice deadline extension requests

We recommend filing invoice deadline extension requests through Submit a Question.

• On the Submit a Question page, click the "Continue" button.
• Choose "Invoice Deadline Extension Request" from the Topic Inquiry menu.
• Choose "Other" from the Specific Inquiry menu and click the "Continue" button.
• Fill in the required contact information. We suggest that you indicate that you are not submitting attachments. Then click the "Continue" button.
• In the text box marked "Questions?", indicate that you are requesting an invoice deadline extension, and provide the funding request numbers (FRNs). You do not need to provide a reason or an explanation.
• When you are finished, click the "Submit" button.

NOTE: USAC can grant one 120-day extension of the deadline to submit invoices.

• You must request the extension on or before the invoice deadline. If your deadline is October 28, you must submit your request on or before October 28. USAC cannot process late requests.
• If your deadline is October 28, your 120-day extension will be extended to February 27, 2017 (120 days after October 28) no matter when you request it (as long as your request is timely filed).

Last Week in "File Along with Me":

• Invoice USAC For Reimbursement. Read More

"File Along with Me" is a blog that covers the E-rate Program application process step-by-step, and serves as a schedule you can follow to manage your application. Ready to join us? Read the Blog