Upcoming 2017 E-Rate Dates:
| October 2? |
Saturday, September 30th, was the service delivery deadline for the receipt of non-recurring services (i.e., installation or other one-time charges) for FY 2016. As of Friday, both USAC’s News Brief (see below) and CSB advised that the Form 500 deadline to request a service delivery deadline for another year, was also September 30th. The rule, however, is that a submission deadline falling on a weekend or holiday shifts to the next business day. This would make the deadline for requesting a service delivery extension to be today, Monday, October 2nd — hopefully a date that USAC will take into account when processing extension requests. |
| October 4 |
Form 486 deadline for FY 2016 funding committed in Wave 49. More generally, the Form 486 deadline is 120 days from the FCDL date or the service start date (often July 1st), whichever is later. Upcoming Form 486 deadlines for funding commitments received in later waves include:
Wave 50 10/09/2017
Wave 51 10/18/2017
Wave 52 10/30/2017
Applicants missing these (or earlier) deadlines should watch carefully for “Form 486 Urgent Reminder Letters” in the “Notifications” section of EPC. The Reminders will afford applicants with 15-day extensions to submit their Form 486s without penalty.
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| October 23 |
Initial comments due on the FCC’s inquiry on revisions to Category 2 budgets (see below). Reply comments are due November 7th. |
| October 30 |
Invoicing deadline for FY 2016 recurring services. (Note: The normal October 28th deadline falls on a Saturday pushing this year’s actual deadline to the following Monday.) Requests to extend this deadline, if needed, will be automatically granted by USAC if filed on or before this date. |
| October 30 |
First Form 486 deadline for FY 2017 FRNs approved in Waves 1–5. |
FCC Decision Watch:
The FCC issued another set of “streamlined,” precedent-based decisions (DA 17-928) last week. Applicants facing similar problems as addressed in these decisions may garner useful information by carefully reading the additional FCC explanations found in the footnotes. The original appeals and waiver requests can be found online in the FCC’s Search for Filings.
In summary, last week’s FCC decisions:
- Dismissed:
- Three Petitions for Reconsideration having failed to provide any arguments not already fully considered by the FCC.
- Granted:
- One Request for Review on the eligibility of user licenses for interconnected VoIP systems.
- Four Requests for Review or Waiver granting the applicants additional time to respond to USAC requests for information.
- Four Requests for Review or Waiver for applications involving ministerial and/or clerical errors.
- One Request for Review involving late-filed BEAR(s) pending USAC actions on Form 498s, PINs, or other requests.
- Four Requests for Waiver of the 60-day appeal filing deadline for appeals submitted “only a few days late.”
- One Request for Review, partially granted, involving the eligibility of certain project management services.
- Denied:
- One Request for Waiver and/or Review on an improper CIPA certification.
- One Request for Review finding that study centers in residential dormitories are not eligible for support. Note: The FCC did make certain residential facilities eligible in its Sixth Report and Order (FCC 10-175) in 2010, but this appeal dealt with FY 2007.
- Five Requests for Waiver for invoice deadline extensions.
- Three Requests for Waiver for late-filed Form 471 applications filed more than two weeks late.
- Two Requests for Waiver or Review for late-filed Form 486s.
- One Request for Waiver for a late-filed appeal.
USAC Fall E-Rate Training:
USAC’s annual fall training is being provided on a more limited basis than in previous years. Although monthly webinars are planned, on-site training is available only in the following locations (including registration links):