July 20, 2018

Commitments for Funding Year 2018

Funding Year 2018. USAC released Funding Year (FY) 2018 Wave 15 Funding Commitment Decision Letters (FCDLs) on July 20. As of July 20, FY2018 commitments total over $1.42 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 Provider Reminder: File Your FY2018 SPAC Form

The FCC Form 473, Service Provider Annual Certification (SPAC) Form, must be filed each year by service providers that participate in the E-rate Program. This form must be certified and on file with USAC before USAC can pay invoices – FCC Form 472, Billed Entity Applicant Reimbursement (BEAR) Form and FCC Form 474, Service Provider Invoice (SPI) Form – for a funding year.

• Service providers who have more than one Service Provider Identification Number (SPIN) must file a SPAC Form for each SPIN.
• Note that applicants can only include Funding Request Numbers (FRNs) for one funding year on a single BEAR Form, but service providers can include FRNs from multiple funding years on a single SPI Form.
• It is never too late to file a SPAC Form. If USAC issues an FCDL for an earlier funding year for which a SPAC Form is missing, the service provider can file a SPAC Form for that funding year now.

USAC has added FY2018 as an option to the online SPAC Form. We encourage service providers to log in to the E-File System and complete and certify the SPAC Form for FY2018.

How to file your SPAC Form

To complete and certify your SPAC Form, first log in to the E-File System.

• If you have multiple SPINs, you must choose one of them ("set your SPIN") from the list of your SPINs.
• After you set your SPIN, you will see SPAC Form as an option in the left-hand menu.
• The form will pre-populate much of the information required based on your identity as a user. If you notice that the contact information in your E-File System profile (not your EPC profile) does not populate correctly, you can exit the FCC Form 473, correct your E-File profile information, and then re-enter your form. If you need help with correcting your E-File profile, contact us as described below.
• The dropdown in the form that lists funding years will only show funding years for which a SPAC Form has not yet been filed, making your choice(s) easier.
• Immediately after the SPAC Form is certified for any funding year – including FY2018 – the appropriate funding year will appear in the Search for SPIN Information tool.

For step-by-step assistance with filing the FCC Form 473, you can refer to the FCC Form 473 User Guide.

• For instructions on resetting your E-File password or help with filing your FCC Form 473, you can open a customer service case in EPC or call the Client Service Bureau (CSB) at 888-203-8100.
• If you are locked out of E-File or are otherwise having trouble logging in, you can call USAC Customer Support at 888-641-8722 and choose option 4 (contributors).