October 5, 2018

Commitments for Funding Year 2018

Funding Year 2018. USAC released Funding Year (FY) 2018 Wave 26 Funding Commitment Decision Letters (FCDLs) on October 5. As of October 5, FY2018 commitments total over $1.81 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).

USAC Seeks IT Enhancement Feedback

The USAC web page – Share Your E-rate Technical System Ideas – continues to be available for program participants to submit their ideas and feedback for improving and/or enhancing Schools and Libraries information systems. Information submitted to USAC through the feedback form on this webpage should only pertain to proposed changes to the E-rate related information technology (IT) systems.

To share your thoughts and ideas, go to the web page, enter your name and email address, identify your role in the E-rate program, and describe your idea. When you are finished, click the SUBMIT button at the bottom of the page.

If we have questions or would like more information about your submission, we may send you a request to the email address you provided. If you do not wish to be contacted by USAC, please notify us by email at privacy@usac.org.

Note that we cannot respond to specific inquiries or requests for assistance through this form. For these issues, submit a customer service case in EPC or call CSB at 888-203-8100.

Reminder of Three October 29 Deadlines

October 29, 2018 is the deadline for most program participants to:

1. Certify an invoice for FY2017 recurring services.
2. Request a one-time, 120-day extension of the deadline to file invoices for FY2017 recurring services.
3. Certify an FCC Form 486, Receipt of Service Confirmation and Children's Internet Protection Act Certification Form for FY2018.

Each of these actions is discussed in more detail below.

1. Certifying an invoice for FY2017 recurring services

For most applicants and service providers, October 29 is the deadline to invoice USAC for FY2017 recurring services.

The invoice deadline is calculated as follows:

• 120 days after the last day to receive service (June 30, 2018) or
• 120 days after the date of the FCC Form 486 Notification Letter

whichever is later.

Applicants and service providers whose FCC Form 486 Notification Letters are dated after June 30, 2018 will have an invoice deadline later than October 29. However, USAC issued most of these letters well before that date (remember we are talking about FY2017 recurring services).

Applicants who intend to file FCC Form 472, Billed Entity Applicant Reimbursement (BEAR) Form, must have a Personal Identification Number (PIN) and an approved FCC Form 498, Service Provider and Billed Entity Identification Number and General Contact Information Form.

• To request a PIN, follow the instructions on the Personal Identification Number page on the USAC website. USAC will email your PIN to the email address you provide on the PIN Request Template that you complete in order to request your PIN. Note that you do not need a new PIN if you already have one.
• To start an FCC Form 498, click the File Online (EPC) (Applicants) link under the FCC Form 498 header on the Forms page to log in to EPC. We suggest that you review the guidance on the Obtain an Applicant 498 ID page before you start the form. After USAC has reviewed and approved your form, we will issue you an applicant 498 ID, which will then appear on the first page of the online BEAR Form.

To start a BEAR Form, click the File Online link under the FCC Form 472 header on the Forms page and provide your Billed Entity Number (BEN), your PIN, your email address and your last name.

Service providers who intend to file FCC Form 474, Service Provider Invoice (SPI) Form, can access the online SPI Form directly by clicking the File Online link under the FCC Form 474 header on the Forms page. You can also submit a request to set up electronic invoicing by following the instructions on the Electronic Invoicing page, but keep in mind that it takes time to set up the process and the invoice deadline is only a few weeks away. 

2. Requesting an extension of the invoice deadline for FY2017 recurring services

Applicants and service providers can request a one-time, 120-day extension of the invoice deadline for FY2017 recurring services. The deadline to submit such a request is October 29, 2018.

To request an invoice deadline extension for FY2017, applicants and service providers can log in to their EPC account, access the Invoice Deadline Date Extension Request tool, and follow the instructions. For more information on how to access and use this tool, review the description in the September 21 SL News Brief.

You must file an extension request for each Funding Request Number (FRN) that you want to extend. You can file for multiple FRNs in a single session, but you must enter all your FRNs – you cannot request extensions by BEN or by FCC Form 471 application number.

TIP: For applicants and service providers who meet the following criteria, we suggest that you request an invoice deadline extension if:

• Your FRN is for FY2017 recurring services.
• You have not yet certified your final invoice for your FRN, or you have not yet certified any invoices for the FRN.
• You have an appeal, SPIN change, or service substitution in process for the FRN.

Requesting this deadline now will give you more time to invoice if it takes longer than expected for USAC to issue its decision on your post-commitment change. (Remember that service delivery deadlines – and therefore invoice deadlines – are automatically extended only for non-recurring services.)

3. Certifying an FCC Form 486 for FY2018

For many applicants, October 29 is the deadline for certifying an FCC Form 486 for FY2018.

The FCC Form 486 filing deadline is calculated as follows:

• 120 days after the date of the FCDL or
• 120 days after the service start date reported on the FCC Form 486

whichever is later.

Applicants whose services start after July 1, 2018 or whose FCDLs are dated after July 1, 2018 will have an FCC Form 486 deadline later than October 29. However, we encourage you to certify your FCC Form 486 as soon as possible after services start for FY2018 and you can accurately make all of the certifications on the form.

To start an FCC Form 486, click the File Online link under the FCC Form 486 header on the Forms page to log in to EPC. You can then click the FCC Form 486 link at the top of your landing page.

FCC Form 486 Urgent Reminder Letter

If we believe your FCC Form 486 is late based on the deadline calculation described above, we will send you an FCC Form 486 Urgent Reminder Letter to remind you of the upcoming deadline. (Note that we use the service start date you reported on your FCC Form 471 to determine when to send the letter, so if your service start date has changed, your deadline may have changed as well.) This letter is posted to your News feed in EPC, and we also send an email to the contact person on the FCC Form 471.

You have 15 days after the date of this letter to certify your FCC Form 486 without penalty. Again, if your service start date has changed, the service start date you enter on your certified FCC Form 486 will determine whether we must apply a penalty for late filing.

Penalty for certifying an FCC Form 486 late

If you wait more than 15 days to certify your form – or if the service start date you report on your FCC Form 486 is more than 120 days before the date you certify your form – we will adjust your service start date to the date 120 days before the date you certify your form. This adjusted service start date will appear on your FCC Form 486 Notification Letter in EPC, and we will not pay discounts for services received before that adjusted date.

Please plan to get these three program activities completed before the above deadline if you have not already done so.