January 5, 2018

Commitments for Funding Year 2017

Funding Year 2017. USAC released Funding Year (FY) 2017 Wave 32 Funding Commitment Decision Letters (FCDLs) on January 4 and will release Wave 33 FCDLs (for some of the hurricane relief applications filed during the Second FY2017 Application Window) on January 6. USAC is also scheduled to release Wave 34 FCDLs on January 12. As of January 5, FY2017 commitments total over $2.03 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).

Upcoming Dates and Deadlines

Please take a moment to review the upcoming dates and deadlines listed below. For the deadlines in particular, you should be prepared to take appropriate actions expeditiously to avoid any last-minute issues.

January 11, 2018 - applicants can complete and certify FCC Form 471 for FY2018

The FY2018 application filing window opens on Thursday, January 11 at noon EST and closes on Thursday, March 22 at 11:59 PM EDT. FCC Forms 471 for FY2018 certified during the window will be considered as timely filed.

If your FY2018 application process includes certifying an FCC Form 470 and opening a competitive bidding process, remember that you must wait at least 28 days after your FCC Form 470 is certified before choosing a service provider, signing a contract (if applicable), and completing and certifying an FCC Form 471 (see below).

- NOTE: FCC Forms 471 started before the FY2018 application filing window opens will not be considered for funding, as they will be characterized as belonging to earlier funding years.

• Earlier this week, we deleted all tasks in EPC related to FCC Forms 471 from earlier funding years that would have allowed applicants to continue working on these forms. This will prevent applicants from completing and certifying forms that would not be considered for funding for FY2018.
• If you have recently certified an FCC Form 471, check the form number. Form numbers that start with "171-" are FY2017 forms, form numbers that start with "161-" are FY2016 forms, and so on. To request funding for FY2018, you must certify an FY2018 FCC Form 471 with a form number that starts with "181-." To file an FCC Form 471 for FY2018:
  • Wait until the FY2018 application filing window opens.
  • Start a new FCC Form 471. (Verify that the form number starts with "181-.")
  • To save time, you can copy the Funding Request Numbers (FRNs) from your recently certified form into your FY2018 form using the Copy FRN function. Be sure to check all of the information in your copied FRN(s) for accuracy.

This guidance does not apply to applicants who were eligible to file FY2017 FCC Forms 471 during the Second FY2017 Application Window created for applicants impacted by hurricanes in 2017. (See the November 9, 2017 SL News Brief for more information.)

January 29, 2018 - deadline for requesting an extension to invoice for FY2016 non-recurring services

January 29 at 11:59 PM EST is the last day that most applicants and service providers can request an extension of the deadline to file an invoice for FY2016 non-recurring services. (The calculated deadline of January 28 falls on a Sunday, so the deadline is Monday, January 29.)

Both applicants and service providers can request invoice deadline extensions using the automated invoice deadline extension tool located in the online BEAR Form. If you use this tool, you will get an immediate response and, if approved, the new invoice deadline for your FRN appears in the FRN Extension Table shortly after you receive your response.

To access the automated invoice deadline extension tool:

APPLICANTS: Log in to the online BEAR Form using your Billed Entity Number (BEN), Personal Identification Number (PIN), email address, and last name. Then click the Deadline Extension link on the right-hand side of the blue bar at the top of the screen. (You can request an extension using this method even if your service provider is the one filing invoices.)

SERVICE PROVIDERS: Log in to the E-File System with your username and password. If you have more than one Service Provider Identification Number (SPIN), choose the one featured on the FRN(s) you want to extend. Click the 472 Online BEAR link from the left-hand menu to go to the service provider view of the online BEAR Form. Then click the Deadline Extension link on the right-hand side of the blue bar at the top of the screen. (You can request an extension using this method even if your customer is the one filing invoices.)

You can also request an invoice deadline extension by using Submit a Question. Note, however, that these requests are processed manually and can take 30 days or longer to process. 

January 29, 2018 - deadline for certifying an invoice for FY2016 non-recurring services if you do not have an extension

January 29 at 11:59 PM EST is the last day that most applicants and service providers can file an invoice for FY2016 non-recurring services. (The calculated deadline of January 28 falls on a Sunday, so the deadline becomes Monday, January 29.)

If you are not certain that you will be able to complete your invoicing activities by the January 29 deadline, you can request a one-time, 120-day invoice deadline extension as described above.

February 22, 2018 - deadline for certifying an FCC Form 470 that you intend to cite on an FY2018 FCC Form 471 funding request

February 22 at 11:59 PM EST is the last day that you can certify an FCC Form 470 for FY2018, wait the required 28 days, and still complete the activities necessary to certify your FCC Form 471 by the close of the FY2018 application filing window on March 22. For an FCC Form 470 certified on February 22, you will have to choose a service provider, sign a contract (for services other than those provided under tariff or on a month-to-month basis), and certify an FCC Form 471 all on the last day of the window.

We strongly suggest that you plan ahead so that you can complete your window-related activities well in advance of the last possible day.

February 26, 2018 - deadline for certifying an invoice for FY2016 recurring services if you have an extension

If you requested a one-time, 120-day invoice deadline extension for your FY2016 recurring services, you must certify your invoice(s) for these services no later than February 26 at 11:59 PM EST. (The calculated deadline of February 25 falls on a Sunday, so the deadline becomes Monday, February 26.)

USAC cannot approve a second extension.

March 22, 2018 - deadline for certifying an FCC Form 471 for FY2018

To be considered for funding, FY2018 FCC Forms 471 must be certified no later than Thursday, March 22 at 11:59 PM EDT . Again, we strongly suggest that you plan to complete your window-related activities well in advance of this deadline.