October 18, 2019

TIP OF THE WEEK: We still have space available for all remaining fall applicant training sessions. If you are interested in attending a session or need more information, you can refer to the 2019 Training page. Once you have chosen a session, you can click the blue Register Here button to register.

Commitments for Funding Years 2019 and 2018

Funding Year 2019. USAC released FY2019 Wave 29 Funding Commitment Decision Letters (FCDLs) on October 17. As of October 18, FY2019 commitments total over $1.89 billion.

Funding Year 2018. USAC released FY2018 Wave 65 FCDLs on October 14. As of October 18, FY2019 commitments total over $2.23 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).

EPC System Maintenance This Weekend

On Saturday, October 19, EPC and the EPC training site will be unavailable all day while we make architectural improvements that will improve the flexibility and strength of the system, especially during times of high volume traffic. There is another scheduled outage from Sunday, October 20 at 7:00 p.m EDT through Monday, October 21 at 1:00 a.m. EDT to conduct monthly system maintenance.

During these timeframes, users will not be able to log in to and use EPC. We apologize for any inconvenience.

Invoicing Reminders

October 28, 2019 is the deadline to file an invoice or to request an invoice deadline extension for most FY2018 recurring service Funding Request Numbers (FRNs). This invoice deadline applies to both applicant and service provider invoices – FCC Form 472 (BEAR Form) and FCC Form 474 (SPI Form), respectively.

Applicants who intend to file BEAR Forms for FY2018 recurring services should request an invoice deadline extension if they do not have a Personal Identification Number (PIN) AND an approved FCC Form 498 (see below). Service providers should also request an extension if they will not be prepared to complete invoices for these services by the October 28 deadline.

• For information about PINs, you can call the Client Service Bureau (CSB) at 888-203-8100. You can also review the August 23 SL News Brief and the PIN page on the USAC website.
• For assistance in filing and certifying the applicant version of the FCC Form 498, you can call CSB. Note that you cannot start a BEAR Form until you have provided proof to USAC of your banking information, which you can upload after you have certified the form. You can also review the August 2 SL News Brief and the FCC Form 498 Filing Guide for Applicants.

How to request an invoice deadline extension

Both applicants and service providers can request an invoice deadline extension in EPC by following the steps below. Remember that there is no penalty for requesting an invoice deadline extension and not using it.

For Funding Request Numbers (FRNs) from FY2016 and subsequent funding years:

• Applicants:
  • On your landing page, click the link to the billed entity record (the name in the "Welcome!" link near the top of the page or the first entry under the My Entities section).
  • Select the Related Actions menu and choose Invoice Deadline Date Extension Request.
  • Enter the FRN(s) you would like to extend, separated by commas.
  • Click the Check Eligibility button. All of the FRNs from your list that can be extended will appear on a grid.
  • Click Submit.
  • Review the resulting News post for the results.
• Service providers:
  • From the Records tab at the top of any EPC page, click the Service Providers option.
  • Use the Search function to locate your service provider record.
  • Select the Related Actions menu and choose Invoice Deadline Date Extension Request.
  • Enter the FRN(s) you would like to extend, separated by commas.
  • Click the Check Eligibility button. All of the FRNs from your list that can be extended will appear on a grid.
  • Click Submit.
  • Review the resulting News post for the results.

Deadline Reminder for the FY2019 FCC Form 486

October 29, 2019 is the deadline to file an FCC Form 486 if your FCDL is dated on or before July 1, 2019 and your service start date is July 1, 2019. If these conditions apply to you, please certify your FCC Form 486 on or before this deadline.

If we believe your FCC Form 486 is late, 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. These letters will start going out on October 30, 2019 for FY2019 commitments.

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.

Applicants whose services start after July 1, 2019 or whose FCDLs are dated after July 1, 2019 (including any that have not yet been issued) 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 FY2019 and you can accurately make all of the certifications on the form.

Reminder on Updating the New Field on the FCC Form 498

In the August 16 SL News Brief, we notified program participants with approved FCC Forms 498 that an entry is required in the new Business Type field. We also sent a reminder by email to those applicants and service providers who have not yet chosen an entry from the drop-down menu for this field and recertified their form.

For more information about this requirement, you can refer to the email you received or the August 16 SL News Brief.

Your update should be completed by October 31, 2019.