February 24, 2017

Commitments for Funding Year 2016

Funding Year 2016. USAC is scheduled to release Funding Year (FY) 2016 Wave 36 Funding Commitment Decision Letters (FCDLs) on March 2. This wave includes commitments for approved applications for all service types and at all discount levels. As of February 24, FY2016 commitments total over $2.23 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).

FY2017 Filing Window Opens Monday, February 27, 2017

The FY2017 application filing window will open on Monday, February 27 at noon EST and close on Thursday, May 11, 2017 at 11:59 PM EDT. 

April 13, 2017 at 11:59 PM EDT is the last opportunity for applicants to post an FCC Form 470, wait 28 days, and still be able to choose a service provider and certify an FCC Form 471 on the last day of the window.

Sunday Deadline to Complete Applicant Profile Updates

The deadline to complete profile updates for the FY2017 application filing window is Sunday, February 26, 2017 at 11:59 PM EST. The Client Service Bureau (CSB) will be open from 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM EST on Saturday, February 25 and Sunday, February 26 to assist applicants with profile updates. You can call CSB at 888-203-8100 during these hours to provide your information or you can open a customer service case in EPC.

After the deadline, you will still have an opportunity to submit updates while you are filing your FCC Form 471. Your submitted updates will not be reflected on your FCC Form 471 original view, but if approved, will be reflected on your FCC Form 471 current view

Submitting entity profile updates during the filing of your FCC Form 471

• Start your FCC Form 471 and complete the Basic Information and Entity Information sections of the form.
• When you reach the Funding Requests section, click the green Add FRN button. Create the FRN. Note that you must create a nickname, provide the service type, include information about a tariffed or month-to-month service or associate a contract record with your FRN, and identify the service provider.
• When you reach the Narrative section, include a description of the entity profile changes you would like to make along with any other information pertinent to the FRN.
• Create any remaining FRNs, review your information, and certify the form.

During the review of your application, Program Integrity Assurance (PIA) will be able to help you process your entity update(s).

FCC Form 486 Urgent Reminder Letters for FY2016 Start Next Week

USAC will start sending FCC Form 486 Urgent Reminder Letters for FY2016 next week. USAC will send an email to the contact person on the FCC Form 471 informing them that the letter is available in the organization’s News tab in EPC.

As a reminder, if you have received a positive funding commitment from USAC, the next step is to file an FCC Form 486, Receipt of Service Confirmation and Children's Internet Protection Act Certification Form, no later than 120 days after services have started. If this date is missed, USAC will adjust the service start reported on the FCC Form 486 to the date 120 days before the certification date of the FCC Form 486 and will not pay invoices for services delivered before the adjusted date.

To avoid missing your 120-day deadline, look for the FCC Form 486 Urgent Reminder Letter. The letter is sent based on the service start date the applicants reported on their FCC Form 471. Applicants then have 15 days from the date of this letter to certify an FCC Form 486.

The letter will appear in the organization's News tab in EPC, and also in the Notifications section of the organization's landing page.

To view the letter, follow these steps:

• Log in to EPC.
• From the Notifications section of your organization's landing page, choose Notification Type FCC Form 486 120 Day Notification and Funding Year 2016. 
• In the right-hand column of each notification, choose Generate Notification. The status will then change to View Notification.
• Click View Notification to view your letter.

Applicants who receive this letter should certify their FCC Form 486 online no later than 15 days after the date of the notification so that USAC is not required to adjust their service start date.

Invoicing Deadline for FY2015 Recurring Services is February 27, 2017

Applicants and service providers who received an approval for an invoice deadline extension for FY2015 recurring services must submit their invoices on or before Monday, February 27 at 11:59 PM EST. USAC cannot process a second invoice deadline extension request for these invoices.

USAC is issuing Personal Identification Numbers (PINs) by email as well as by mail for last-minute requests. Earlier this week, USAC emailed all PINs created on or after February 3, and is continuing to email PINs created in advance of the deadline.

If you receive a warning message when you are working on an invoice but are able to continue (for example, if an applicant receives a warning message that the service provider has not certified an FCC Form 473), complete and submit your invoice by the deadline so that it is timely filed. USAC denials or reductions on timely filed invoices can be appealed to USAC.

• The deadline for appealing USAC decisions on BEAR Forms is 60 days after the date of the BEAR Notification Letter.
• The deadline for appealing USAC decisions on SPI Forms is 60 days after USAC issues the Remittance Statement.

If you want to appeal an invoice decision, we encourage you to appeal to USAC as soon as possible so that we can start your review promptly.

Notice on FCC Form 470 Download Tool

The View an FCC Form 470 tool on the USAC website can only be used to search for FCC Forms 470 certified during the past 30 days. To review an FCC Form 470 and its associated RFP documents that is older than 30 days, you must set both the Start Posting Date and End Posting Date to encompass a period in the past of 30 days or less (e.g., 12/01/2016 to 12/31/2016).