November 2, 2018

Commitments for Funding Year (FY) 2018

FY2018. USAC released FY2018 Wave 30 Funding Commitment Decision Letters (FCDLs) on November 2, 2018. As of November 2, FY2018 commitments total over $1.88 billion.

On the date that FCDLs are issued, you can access your FCDL notification from the Notifications section of your landing page in EPC.

Fall Tribal Training Dates and Locations - Register Today

This fall, join USAC for regional training events designed for schools and libraries on Tribal lands. The training will help Tribal applicants and Tribally-owned service providers prepare for the upcoming funding year. Participants will have the opportunity to learn more about the E-rate Program, receive Tribal-specific guidance and speak with USAC's Tribal Liaison. During the training you'll have time to ask questions and hear directly from the E-rate Program team on key topics important to successful participation in the program.

USAC is hosting Tribal Training events on the following dates:

• November 13, 2018 in Omaha, Nebraska at Creighton University
  The session for Tribal applicants will be held the morning of Tuesday, November 13. Registrants have the option to sign up for the regularly scheduled fall applicant training (open to all applicants), which includes a beginner session the afternoon of November 13 and a regular session with breakouts for beginners and advanced program participants on Wednesday, November 14. 

• November 28, 2018 in Spokane, Washington at Spokane Community College
• November 30, 2018 in Farmington, New Mexico at San Juan College
  The full-day sessions in Farmington and Spokane will be focused on Tribal training and information for beginners.

You can register for the session(s) of your choice by clicking here.

Profile Updates for Entities that Changed Entity Type in FY2018

Some entities in EPC have undergone entity type changes during the FY2018 application cycle. An entity has undergone an entity type change if it kept the same Billed Entity Number (BEN) but changed from one entity type to another.

Up until now, we asked entities that have had entity type changes in FY2018 to wait for further guidance before updating their profiles. USAC updated the applicant profile for these entities early this week. These applicants should now carefully review their profiles in EPC and make any additional updates for changes that occurred after USAC's review of their FY2018 FCC Forms 471.

The administrative window to update profiles will remain open until early January 2019. For more information on profile updates, read the September 28 SL News Brief.

What to Do if You Missed Your October 29 Deadline

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

1. Certify an invoice for FY2017 recurring services.
2. Request an invoice deadline extension for FY2017 recurring services.
3. Certify an FCC Form 486, Receipt of Service Confirmation and Children's Internet Protection Act Certification Form for FY2018.

Missed Invoice Deadlines for FY2017

If you missed your invoice deadline and your deadline to request an invoice deadline extension for FY2017 recurring services, you must file a waiver request with the FCC before submitting your invoice to USAC to be processed. The FCC must grant your waiver request before USAC can extend the invoice deadline.

If your invoice was submitted by the deadline but USAC reduces or denies the amount invoiced, you must submit an appeal to USAC.

You can verify whether your invoice deadline has been extended by searching for your Funding Request Number(s) (FRNs) in the FRN Extension Table.

Missed FCC Form 486 Deadline for FY2018

If you missed your deadline to file an FCC Form 486 for FY2018 services, certify your form as soon as possible to avoid a penalty (see below).

FCC Form 486 Urgent Reminder Letters

USAC issues an FCC Form 486 Urgent Reminder Letter to applicants that appear to have missed the deadline to certify an FCC Form 486 based on the service delivery date in the FCC Form 471. The deadline to file an FCC Form 486 is 120 days after the date of the FCDL or 120 days after the service start date, whichever is later.

USAC calculates the date to issue this letter based on the service start date reported on the FCC Form 471. If your actual service start date is later than the date you reported on FCC Form 471, your deadline may not have passed. In this case, you are responsible for calculating and meeting your actual deadline, as USAC will not issue a second reminder letter.  You can use the Deadlines Tool to calculate your specific deadline.

Applicants that file their FCC Form 486 in EPC will receive this letter in the EPC News feed. They have 15 days from the date of the letter to submit and certify an FCC Form 486 online with no penalty (if the service start date reported on the FCC Form 471 was the actual service start date). Note: For FY2015 and previous funding years, the letter is issued on paper and provides a 20-day grace period (15 days plus five days for mail receipt).

If you miss this deadline, USAC will adjust your service start date to a date 120 days before the date you certified your form, and your funding commitment may be reduced to reflect the reduction in service time.

If you want to appeal a decision related to a late-filed FCC Form 486, you must file your appeal first with USAC. If USAC denies the appeal, then you may then appeal to the FCC.