September 29, 2017

Commitments for Funding Years 2017 and 2016

Funding Year 2017. USAC is scheduled to release Funding Year (FY) 2017 Wave 19 Funding Commitment Decision Letters (FCDLs) on October 6. As of September 29, FY2017 commitments total over $1.36 billion.

Funding Year 2016. USAC is scheduled to release Wave 64 FCDLs on October 3. As of September 29, FY2016 commitments total over $2.90 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).

Update on Fall Applicant Training

Registration is still open for our fall training sessions, and registration information for our fourth location will be posted shortly. To register, go to the Trainings & Outreach section of the USAC website. We will post additional information as it becomes available on the individual registration pages for each of the training sessions.

Service Delivery Deadline Extensions for FY2016 Non-Recurring Services (Other than Special Construction)

The deadline for delivery and installation of non-recurring services (e.g., installations, equipment purchases) is generally September 30 following the close of the funding year. For FY2016 non-recurring services, the deadline is September 30, 2017.

This service delivery deadline can be extended under certain circumstances, either automatically or through a request.

• Note that the service delivery extension deadline for special construction (which is not being covered in this SL News Brief) falls on June 30 of the funding year. Applicants may request a one-year extension of the June 30 deadline to complete special construction and light the fiber if they demonstrate that construction was unavoidably delayed due to weather or other reasons.

Automatic extensions

For FY2016, this deadline will be extended for one year – to September 30, 2018 – if USAC issues an FCDL on or after March 1, 2017. This deadline will also be extended to September 30, 2018 if USAC issues a Revised FCDL (RFCDL) on or after March 1, 2017 for one of the following:

• approval of an appeal for a funding request that was originally denied funding,
• approval of a Service Provider Identification Number (SPIN) change, or
• approval of a service substitution.

Requested extensions

Service delivery deadline extensions required in other instances are not automatic and must be requested from and approved by USAC. Service providers who are (1) unable to meet this deadline for reasons beyond their control or (2) unwilling to complete delivery and installation because USAC withheld invoice payments on the services for more than 60 days can ask the affected applicants to request a one-year extension of the deadline by completing and certifying an FCC Form 500 by September 30, 2017 for FY2016 non-recurring services.

Notification of automatic extensions for FY2016

Applicants and service providers will be notified differently in FY2016 about Funding Request Numbers (FRNs) that have received automatic extensions of the service delivery deadline. Instead of receiving notice on the initial FCDL, affected applicants and service providers will receive an email when the deadline has been extended and users will be able to see the extended deadline for an FRN by searching for that FRN in the FRN Extension Table.

Note that extending a service delivery deadline for an FRN to September 30, 2018 will automatically extend the invoice deadline for that FRN to January 28, 2019. Consequently, you should not submit an invoice deadline extension request for these FRNs at this time.

Have You Requested an Invoice Deadline Extension for FY2016 Recurring Services?

October 30, 2017 is the deadline for invoicing USAC for FY2016 recurring services. It is also the deadline for requesting an extension of time to file.

Applicants and service providers can request this one-time, 120-day extension of the invoice filing deadline. We suggest that you request an extension as soon as you realize that you might need one. There is no penalty for requesting an extension and then submitting your invoices on time.

You can refer to last week's SL News Brief for detailed instructions on how to file your invoice deadline extension requests. Remember that applicants and service providers who request an extension using the online BEAR option described in last week's SL News Brief will receive a decision on-screen and by email immediately after submission.

EPC Interface Update

In the near future, USAC plans to make some minor cosmetic changes to the user interface in EPC, including changes to colors, shapes, fonts, and menu locations. We will provide a more detailed update on these changes soon.