May 26, 2017

Commitments for Funding Years 2017 and 2016

Funding Year 2017. USAC released Funding Year (FY) 2017 Wave 1 Funding Commitment Decision Letters (FCDLs) earlier today. This wave includes commitments for over $48.6 million on 4,920 applications.

Funding Year 2016. USAC released FY2016 Wave 47 FCDLs on May 22 and is scheduled to release Wave 48 FCDLs on June 2. These waves include commitments for approved applications for all service types and at all discount levels. As of May 26, FY2016 commitments total over $2.67 billion.

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

EPC Updates

Entity profiles unlocked

USAC has unlocked the applicant profiles in EPC. You can now go in to your profile and update information. Also, you can request that the Client Service Bureau (CSB) make any changes that they were unable to make for you during the application filing window.

• Any changes or updates you make to your profile information will not affect program forms that you have already certified. If you want to make an update to the information on a certified FCC Form 471, you must file a RAL modification.
• From this point forward, if you are still working on a program form or have not yet started one, changes you make to your profile information will be reflected in that uncertified form as appropriate.

Out-of-window messages

USAC sends applicants a News item or email if they certify an FCC Form 471 after the filing window closes – for FY2017, after 11:59 PM EDT on Thursday, May 11, 2017 – informing them that their form is out-of-window. We have recently determined that, in some cases, USAC sent these messages in error.

To verify the correct status of your FCC Form 471, access the form in EPC and look for the field labeled Window Status on the Summary page. If the status is In-Window, you can disregard the News item and the email.

New Service Provider Download Tool

USAC has created a new Service Provider Download Tool. This tool presents several advantages over the old Search for SPIN Information tool:

• More individual service provider information is available.
• Information is formatted more clearly.
• Searches are easier to perform, and you have more search criteria.
• Search results can be downloaded in a .CSV file, which you can save to your computer and open in Microsoft Excel.

To perform a search using the tool, enter or choose one or more search criteria.

• If you enter a name or part of a name in the Service Provider Name field, your search results will include all service providers which feature that text in any part of their names.
• To search by a SPIN, you must enter the entire SPIN.

Your search will return a table with the following fields:

• SPIN
• Service Provider Name
• Doing Business As
• Status
• Contact Name
• Email
• Phone
• SPAC Filed (FCC Form 473)

Additional fields are available if you download the .CSV file of your search results. To do this, click the Microsoft Excel logo above and to the right of the table. After you download the .CSV file, you can open it in Microsoft Excel.

Also, the SPINs in your search results are active links. To get more detail on a specific service provider, click the SPIN. You will see the complete record of the service provider, which includes the same fields as the .CSV file for that single service provider. You can download the information from that service provider's record in a .CSV file by clicking the Microsoft Excel logo in the upper right-hand corner of the record.

Note that USAC will continue to offer both tools on its website.

For more information on the Service Provider Download Tool – including a complete list of fields – refer to the Service Provider Download Tool User Guide.

Summer Webinar Schedule

Starting in June and continuing through August, USAC will be offering a single webinar every month to provide program updates and guidance for all stakeholders – applicants, service providers, and consultants.

Each webinar will include updates on recent developments in the E-rate program and EPC, and focus on a single topic. Participants will also have an opportunity to participate in a question-and-answer session at the end of each webinar. The webinars will be recorded, and you will be able to watch them on demand immediately after the live presentation by using the registration link. You can also view them in our Online Learning Library within a day or two after the webinar.

Below are the dates of the next three webinars and the topics we intend to cover:

Registration information will be posted on the Trainings & Outreach page of the USAC website soon.