January 27, 2017

Commitments for Funding Year 2016

Funding Year 2016. USAC is scheduled to release Funding Year (FY) 2016 Wave 32 Funding Commitment Decision Letters (FCDLs) on February 1. This wave includes commitments for approved applications for all service types and at all discount levels. As of January 27, FY2016 commitments total just under $2.04 billion.

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).

Profile Updates in EPC Continue

During the Program Integrity Assurance (PIA) review of FY2016 applications, some reviewers identified changes to applicant profile information that were required to successfully process the application. The reviewers updated those FCC Form(s) 471 but did not update the actual applicant profiles.

• We have sent an email to applicants who made changes to their profiles after July 21, 2016 notifying them that our updates would overwrite those changes. Those applicants had until January 26 to inform us that they do not want us to proceed with our changes.
• We will send an email to applicants who did not make changes to their profiles informing them that we have made our updates.
• If no changes were made to your profile, no action is required.

We strongly suggest that all applicants refrain from making additional changes to their profiles until we have completed this process. Because we sometimes become aware of changes after a funding wave runs, we may still identify changes in the near future. Again, we will communicate with any affected applicants by email if we become aware of those changes.

Email notifications will be sent when we have completed the profile update process. Applicants can then go into their profiles and make any necessary updates for the opening of the FY2017 application filing window.

Submitting FCC Form 500 for FY2015 and Previous Years

Applicants file the FCC Form 500, Funding Commitment Adjustment Request Form, in EPC.

To file this form for FY2016, applicants can enter their form data directly into the FCC Form 500 data fields in EPC.

To file this form for FY2015 and previous funding years, here is how to proceed:

• Download a copy of the December 2016 FCC Form 500 from the USAC website. You can find this form on the Forms page and on the FCC Form 500 Filing page.
• Complete the first page of the form, the section(s) of the form for the adjustment (s) you would like to make, and all of the fields on the certification page (page 5 of 6). Be sure to sign and date the form.
• Scan a copy of your completed paper form.
• Log in to EPC.
• From your landing page, click the "FCC Form 500" link in the upper right menu on your landing page.
• In the Form Details section of the form, click the green "No" button to de-select it (it will turn gray), then click the "Yes" button.
• In the FCC Form 500 Number field, enter the funding year for your FCC Form 500.
• Click the "Choose File" button and upload the scanned copy of your completed form.
• Create a nickname for the form, choose the main contact person, and provide any additional information in the Narrative section.
• When you are ready, click "Submit."
• A pop-up message will appear. Review the message and click "Yes" to submit your form. 

Now Available in EPC: Request Post-commitment Changes for FY2015 and Previous Years

You can now submit SPIN changes and service substitution requests for FY2015 and previous funding years in EPC.

First, check to be sure your change meets the requirements. The USAC website provides guidance by change type:

• SPIN Changes
  • Corrective SPIN change
  • Operational SPIN change
• Service substitutions

If your request meets the requirements, create a file that includes all of the information required for USAC to process your request in a table or list that includes the fields in the order they appear in the guidance. You can also provide the information in the Description field of the customer service case, but the space and formatting options are limited.

Second, submit your request by opening a customer service case:

• From the Actions tab on your entity's landing page, choose Contact Us.
• Create a nickname for your request that will help you identify the request easily if you choose to access it in the future.
• In the Description field, include your Billed Entity Number, the funding year, and the application number(s) of the FCC Form(s) 471 that would be affected by the change. (You can use the Form Number field, but it will only allow you to enter one form number.)
• From the Topic menu, choose "Post Commitment Changes."
• From the Subtopic menu, choose "Service Substitution Questions" to request a service substitution or "SPIN Change Questions" ;to request a SPIN change.
• In the Document section, click "Choose File" and attach the file that you created with all of the required information for your request. You can upload more than one file if you need to do so.
• In the Case Contact field, choose the person that can best answer any questions we have. We recommend that you choose a contact that is already in EPC to make it easier for you to track the progress on your case.
• Review your information for accuracy and then click "Submit."

Change Guidance for FY2016 requests:

• If you have not yet received an FCDL for FY2016, you can contact your PIA reviewer to discuss your request. Your reviewer may be able to process the change(s) you want to make as long as your request complies with program rules. If you have not been in contact with a PIA reviewer, you can call the Client Service Bureau at (888) 203-8100 and ask for the contact information for the PIA manager for your state.
• We expect to start processing requests for FY2016 service substitutions and SPIN changes that have already been submitted in late February.