August 16, 2019

TIP OF THE WEEK: Be sure to register for our invoicing webinar on August 21 to learn more about the invoicing process (see below). Remember that the invoicing deadline for Funding Year (FY) 2018 recurring services for most applicants and service providers is October 28, 2019.

Commitments for Funding Years 2019 and 2018

Funding Year 2019. USAC released FY2019 Wave 17 Funding Commitment Decision Letters (FCDLs) on August 15. As of August 16, FY2019 commitments total over $1.41 billion.

Funding Year 2018. USAC released FY2018 Wave 60 FCDLs on August 13. As of August 16, FY2018 commitments total over $2.20 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).

New Field on FCC Form 498

Earlier this week, applicants and service providers received email notifications about a new field on the FCC Form 498. We are asking program participants with approved FCC Forms 498 to modify their forms by reviewing all of the entries in the drop-down menu for the new Business Type field and choosing the most appropriate entry.

Applicants filing the FCC Form 498 for the first time will be required to provide an entry in this field.

As long as you are not adding an associated Billed Entity Number (BEN) or changing your banking information, your form will not require re-approval by USAC. However, any changes to the form must be made and then certified by the user with the School or Library Official rights for FCC Form 498.

To modify the form:

• From the Records tab at the top of any page in EPC, the School or Library Official clicks the FCC Form 498 link.
• The School or Library Official searches for the entity's FCC Form 498 using the nickname or the applicant 498 ID and clicks the link to that form.
• In the upper right-hand corner of the form, the School or Library Official clicks the Modify FCC Form 498 button.
• The School or Library Official can then choose the appropriate drop-down in the Business Type field and, if needed, make any other modifications.
• The School or Library Official then re-certifies the form in order for the modifications to take effect.

NOTE: Applicants are not required to file an FCC Form 498 if they are using the SPI method of invoicing exclusively – that is, the applicants are receiving and paying discounted bills from their service provider rather than asking for reimbursement directly.

Registration for Fall 2019 Applicant and Tribal Training Continues

Registration is still open for fall 2019 E-rate Program applicant training sessions. These sessions will be held around the country in September, October, and November.

• The two-day sessions will start with an optional half-day afternoon session targeted to beginners, followed by a full-day training for everyone that includes separate breakout sessions for beginners and for more advanced users.
• Three of the dates will include content of particular interest to Tribal applicants. See the schedule below for more information.

Please note that some training sessions are already full and the waitlists for those dates are now closed. These are marked as “Closed” on the website.

• September 16 – 17: Washington, DC - Registration is Closed
• September 19 – 20: Washington, DC - Registration is Closed

Registration is open for the dates listed below. You can register here.

• September 23 – 24: Farmers Branch, TX
• October 2 – 3: Palatine, IL
• October 16 – 17 (morning Tribal session October 16): Vancouver, WA
• October 22 – 23: North Branch, NJ
• October 31 – November 1: San Marcos, CA
• November 13 – 14: Atlanta, GA
• November 19 (Tribal only session): Tahlequah, OK
• November 21 (Tribal only session): Farmington, NM

For more information, you can refer to the 2019 Training page.

Register for the Upcoming Invoicing Webinar

Join USAC on Wednesday, August 21, 2019 at 3:00 p.m. EDT for an E-rate Program webinar on invoicing. We will discuss the invoicing process for applicants and service providers. In this webinar, you will learn more about the filing FCC Form 472 (BEAR), FCC Form 474 (SPI), electronic invoicing for service providers, invoice deadlines, and more. You will be able to ask questions during the webinar. USAC staff will respond to questions of general interest at the end of the webinar.

To register for the webinar in advance, you can click here. Registration is also available on our Webinars page. If you register but are unable to attend, you can click the registration link to watch a recording of the webinar.