Webinar Recording: Understanding the Role of Service Providers

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Live Training for New Applicants and Pilot Program Participants in Salt Lake City, UT. Register Today!

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Notice of Proposed Rulemaking Now Published in the Federal Register!

The FCC's Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) to expand the Rural Health Care (RHC) Program was published in the Federal Register on August 9th.  Program stakeholders are encouraged to review the NPRM and submit their comments to the FCC.

Comments due September 8, 2010
Reply Comments due September 23, 2010

The NPRM would establish a permanent telehealth infrastructure fund, cover more of the recurring cost for broadband connectivity, and expand the types of services and health care providers that are eligible to receive funding.  The reforms are consistent with the recommendations set forth in the National Broadband Plan.

Proposals in the NPRM include:

• Support up to 85% of new broadband infrastructure costs
• Reimburse 50% of recurring monthly broadband costs (currently 25% for Internet Access only)
• Fund eligible skilled nursing facilities, dialysis centers, and off-site administrative offices and data centers

View filing procedures: FCC Public Notice
View the FCC NPRM: WC Docket No. 02-60 FCC 10-125

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 all applicants to verify with their Service Providers that the necessary information has been provided to USAC to ensure prompt payment. USAC also 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.

Webinar for Service Providers on August 17: Understanding Your Role in the RHC Program

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FCC Program to Expand Investment in Broadband Health Care Technology (NPRM)

http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-10-125A1.pdf

National Broadband Plan

FCC Announces Broadband Action Agenda. Click here to read the latest announcement.

HCP Support Schedules (HSS) Now Issued Electronically

Starting the week of March 8th, 2010, USAC will begin issuing HCP Support Schedules (HSS) to service providers electronically. The Service Provider contact (the individual listed on the FCC Form 498) will now receive the RHC HSS by email, allowing for quicker receipt of Support Schedules and reducing the amount of paper we use.

In order to ensure that your HSS is sent to the correct individual, it is important that all email and mailing addresses on your FCC Form 498 are up-to-date. If you need to update your contact information, you may update your Form 498 or contact USAC's Client Services Bureau at 888-641-8722. Changes to the Form 498 will be updated in the RHC systems each week, beginning the week of March 15, 2010.

For general questions or concerns about our new processes, send us an email and someone will contact you shortly.

As a reminder, be sure to save a copy of your HSS. Per USAC guidelines, all service providers are required to maintain documentation for five years.

RHC Fund Year 2006 closeouts

RHC is closing out Fund Years 2006. Service Providers Click here to see if your name appears on this list. If your name is listed it means that RHC needs additional documentation in order to close out the FRN. Please email rhc-admin@universalservice.org or call 1-800-229-5476 if you need assistance in determining what is needed from RHC to complete the application process.

RHC customer service department address change

The Rural HealthCare Division's customer service department has moved to a new address. All forms, supporting documentation, and other correspondence should be mailed to:

Universal Service Administrative Company
Rural Health Care Program
30 Lanidex Plaza West, P.O. Box 685
Parsippany, NJ 07054-0685

Supporting documentation may also be faxed to 973-599-6514. Note that FCC Forms should not be faxed.  All FCC Forms should either be mailed to the above address or filed and e-certified online at www.usac.org/rhc.  Applicants may continue to email their questions to rhc-admin@universalservice.org or call 800-229-5476. 

The importance of including the correct billing account number (BAN) on your FCC Form 466/466-A and FCC Form 467

In order to process your application for funding, USAC requires that all applicants indicate the correct billing account number (BAN) on their FCC Form 466/466-A and FCC Form 467.  Applicants should place the correct BAN in Line 28 of their Form 466, Line 22 of their Form 466-A, and Line 9 of their Form 467.  It is extremely important that applicants obtain the correct BAN from their service provider prior to filing any forms with USAC.  The BAN is typically found on the rural rate supporting documentation submitted with the Form 466 and Form 466A. Failure to provide the correct BAN will cause delays in processing your application for funding and delays in receiving credits from your service provider for eligible services. 

USAC highly recommends contacting your service provider to determine your BAN prior to filing your forms.  If you are unable to obtain this information from your service provider, please call our customer service center at 800-229-5476, or by email at rhc-admin@universalservice.org. 

FCC Announces Mandatory Electronic Disbursement of USF Support Payments

The FCC's Wireline Competition Bureau announced September 28 that all federal Universal Service Fund (USF) support payments must be made by electronic funds transfer (See Public Notice DA 09-2126).

The notice states that recipients of USF support payments shall provide their financial institution information and other relevant information on FCC Form 498, which is being updated to reflect these requirements.  USAC encourages all service providers to update their Form 498 information using USAC's E-File System. Once the updated 498 form is processed, all following support payments will be made electronically.

The Wireline Competition Bureau will issue a further public notice announcing the effective date of the electronic payment requirement. After the effective date, USAC will not make USF support payments to any entity that has not provided financial institution information sufficient to enable payment through electronic funds transfer.

Please note: Service providers in the Schools and Libraries Program that currently use the Billed Entity Applicant Reimbursement (BEAR Form 472) form will continue to receive check payments even if they provide electronic banking information until further notice.

If you have any questions, please contact USAC at (888) 641-8722 or customerservice@bcd.universalservice.org.

Learn More About RHC Funding for Redundant Circuits

Redundant, secondary or fail-over services (to be used in case of an outage) are eligible for support under the Rural Health Care program.  However, the cost and bandwidth of the service should reasonably reflect its use as a secondary service and the applicant should determine that it is the most cost-effective option available.  Applicants seeking such redundant services should indicate that on their FCC Form 465 so vendors can appropriately scale their response in the same manner as primary service bids are requested.  Once bids are received, the applicant should score each bid based on the needs of the HCP and determine which bid or bids is most cost-effective. 

Understanding the Application Process Webinar Presentation

Understanding the Application Process Webinar Presentation [PDF, 1.8MB]