|
November 10, 2017
TIP OF THE WEEK: USAC has started issuing FCC Form 486 Urgent Reminder Letters for FY2017 based on the service start date you reported on the FCC Form 471. If your FY2017 services have started, you have your FCDL, and you receive an urgent reminder letter, verify the deadline for certifying your FCC Form 486 and make sure to certify your form on or before your deadline.
Commitments for Funding Years 2017 and 2016
Funding Year 2017. USAC is scheduled to release Funding Year (FY) 2017 Wave 25 Funding Commitment Decision Letters (FCDLs) on November 17. As of November 10, FY2017 commitments total over $1.71 billion.
Funding Year 2016. USAC is scheduled to release Wave 68 FCDLs on November 14. As of November 10, FY2016 commitments total just under $2.91 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).
Service Start Date Reminder
The earliest service start date that can be featured on a Funding Request Number (FRN) is July 1 of the funding year. This is true even if program rules allow installation to occur in advance of the funding year.
Installation can begin before July 1 of the funding year under the following circumstances:
-
Installation of Category One non-recurring services can begin on January 1 prior to the July 1 start of the funding year, if:
-
Construction begins after selection of the service provider pursuant to a posted FCC Form 470,
-
A Category One recurring service depends on the installation of the infrastructure, and
-
The actual service start date for that recurring service is on or after July 1 of the funding year.
-
Installation of Category Two non-recurring services can begin on April 1 prior to the July 1 start of the funding year.
When filing program forms, applicants and service providers who enter a service start date before July 1 will encounter the following:
-
An FCC Form 486 with one or more FRNs featuring a service start date before July 1 will go into manual review. USAC may have questions for the applicant which must be answered before the form can be reviewed and approved. Note that the service start date in the FCC Form 471 carries over automatically into the online FCC Form 486, and the applicant should review this date – and updated it if it has changed – when completing the FCC Form 486.
-
A Billed Entity Applicant Reimbursement (BEAR) FCC Form 472 filed by an applicant with one or line items featuring a service start date before July 1 will go into manual review. The applicant may be asked to produce documentation showing that the FRN(s) included installation work that met one of the above conditions before the form can pass manual review.
-
A Service Provider Invoice (SPI) FCC Form 474 filed by a service provider with one or line items featuring a service start date before July 1 will go into manual review. The service provider may be asked to produce documentation showing that the FRN(s) included installation work that met one of the above conditions before the form can pass manual review.
Applicants and service providers should enter a date on or after July 1 of the funding year as the service start date for the FRNs on the program forms they file, and – if the installation occurred before that date – save documentation to show that the installation work done falls under the appropriate category above. This will shorten the time that USAC needs to review the form and any requested documentation.
Update on Guidance for Hurricane Relief Orders
In Orders DA 17-984 and FCC 17-139, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) provided emergency relief to schools and libraries impacted by Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria (Hurricanes). The emergency relief provided includes:
-
targeted support to schools and libraries located in the most severely impacted areas to help them restore services and replace equipment damaged by the Hurricanes,
-
increased flexibility to request service substitutions,
-
support for schools incurring additional costs for eligible services because they are serving students displaced by the Hurricanes,
-
extensions of program deadlines, and
-
a limited waiver of recordkeeping requirements for records destroyed by the Hurricanes.
In addition to the orders, applicants and service providers can review the following for more details:
USAC will also host a webinar on Monday, November 13, 2017 at 3:00 PM EST about the emergency Hurricane relief. You can register here or from the Upcoming Events section of the Trainings & Outreach page on the USAC website.
|