Non-Rural & Rural Use Certifications and Rate Comparability Certifications

All non-rural and rural carriers subject to state jurisdiction and eligible for federal high cost support must be certified by their state commissions each year. Carriers not subject to state jurisdiction must file self-certifications directly with USAC and the FCC.

• Web_Oct_1_10.pdf [PDF, 74kb]

Local Switching Support (LSS) Projections are due by October 1, 2010

Incumbent ETCs serving study areas with 50,000 or fewer access lines must file projections for LSS no later than October 1, 2010 to receive LSS in calendar year 2011 per Part 54.301(b).

• 3Q10_LSS.pdf [PDF, 58kb]

Federally-Designated ETCs Must Submit Annual Reports by October 1st

Section 54.209 of the Commission's rules provides that an ETC designated by the Commission under section 214(e)(6) shall file annual reports.

• Oct_1.pdf [PDF, 63kb]

Eligible Telecommunications Carriers (ETCs) must file Quarterly Line Counts

All incumbent ETCs, or their agents, with a competitive ETC (CETC) filing line counts in their service area(s) are required to file line counts with USAC or the National Exchange Carrier Association (NECA) on a quarterly basis.

• 3Q10_ILEC.pdf [PDF, 60kb]

Competitive Eligible Telecommunications Carriers (CETCs) must file Quarterly Line Counts

All CETCs, or their agents, are required to file line counts with USAC using Form 525 on a quarterly basis.

• 3Q10_CETC.pdf [PDF, 61kb]

March 2008 CETC Baseline for Interim Cap on CETC Support Adjusted

On August 24, 2010, the FCC confirmed in a letter that USAC should adjust the interim cap on high-cost support for CETCs. The adjusted interim cap amount reflects true-ups for 2008 ICLS and LSS, the impact of waivers, and other corrections to the initial March 2008 calculations identified by CETCs and USAC.

The adjustments to the interim cap on high-cost support for CETCs are operative as of the effective date of the Interim Cap Order, August 1, 2008. Therefore, CETCs shall receive prior period adjustments as necessary to correct the amounts of high-cost support received during the operation of the interim cap on CETC support. Depending upon the jurisdiction in which a CETC serves lines, adjustments to high-cost support received may be substantial.

If any carriers have questions or inquiries concerning the CETC March 2008 support baseline adjustments, please send them to CETCCap@usac.org.

• Adjusted CETC Cap March 2008 Baseline (by component by state) [PDF, 14kb]

USAC Launches its Payment Quality Assurance (PQA) Program

In August 2010, USAC rolled out its Payment Quality Assurance (PQA) Program. The PQA Program enables USAC to provide accurate, timely information about improper payments to the FCC, as required by the Improper Payments Information Act of 2002 (IPIA). Under this program, USAC assesses specific payments made to beneficiaries in all four USF programs (Schools and Libraries, High Cost, Low Income, and Rural Health Care)  to determine if these payments were made in accordance with program rules. Using results of these assessments, USAC calculates estimates of improper payment rates across entire USF programs and provides this information to the FCC.

For more information about the PQA Program and to obtain specific PQA document requirements, please click here. For a list of FAQs that provide information about the program, what to do if you are selected, and how/when to submit documents, click here.

Update your Form 498 with electronic banking information to ensure continued timely USF disbursements!

REMINDER! Beginning August 31, USAC will withhold support payments to any entity that has not provided electronic banking information.  If your company does not have electronic banking information on its FCC Form 498 for each of the programs in which it participates, you may not receive your USF disbursements!  Banking information must be received in advance of August 31^st, so make Form 498 updates using USAC's E-File System right away!

Note: E-File updates your information immediately, while paper forms take longer to process.  Forms mailed too close to August 31st may not be processed by the deadline. USAC suggests using E-File.
USAC encourages Service Providers who have provided banking information in the past to log onto E-file regularly to confirm that information is accurate and up to date.

On June 2, 2010 the FCC's Wireline Competition Bureau announced that all federal Universal Service Fund (USF) support payments must be made by electronic funds transfer starting August 31 (See Public Notice DA 10-270). If you have any questions, or need help logging in to E-File, please contact USAC Customer Operations at (888) 641-8722 or customersupport@usac.org.

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New Mailing Address For High Cost & Low Income Filings Effective October 1, 2009

Effective October 1, 2009, USAC will begin collecting all High Cost & Low Income forms at its Washington, DC mailing address. The High Cost and Low Income email addresses and fax numbers will remain the same.

ETCs (or their agents) must send High Cost Forms 507, 508, 509, 525, Local Switching Support forms, Interstate Access Support line count filings, CMT revenue filings, Low Income FCC Form 497, and any other information previously sent to USAC in New Jersey to the address below:

USAC
Customer Operations
2000 L Street NW, Suite 200
Washington, DC 20036

To avoid interruption in form processing, USAC recommends that ETCs file FCC Forms 497 and 525 online.

USAC will continue to receive High Cost and Low Income forms sent to USAC New Jersey until December 31, 2009. After that date, USAC will not process any High Cost or Low Income data mailed to the old address. For this reason, we strongly encourage you to change your records to indicate the new address or, if applicable, submit the Forms 497 and 525 online.

Guidance for CETCs Serving "Covered Locations"

On May 27, 2009, the FCC published DA 09-1157, "Small Entity Compliance Guide: Interim Cap on High-Cost Universal Service Support for Competitive Eligible Telecommunications Carriers." This document set forth how a CETC must file its line count data in order to comply with the covered locations exception to the interim cap on high cost support:

• Guidance for CETCs