News of the Week

FY 2019:

USAC announced and released the first funding wave for FY 2019.  Funding totaled $530 million for 18,515 applications — roughly half of all submitted applications (although under 20% of the dollar value of all funding requests).

By applicant type, Wave 1 funding was as follows:

By category type — heavily weighted towards the relatively easier Category 1 applications — Wave 1 funding was as follows:

FY 2019’s first wave funding is slightly better than last year when two waves totaling $503 million were released on successive days (April 20-21, 2018).

FY 2018:

USAC did not issue a funding wave for FY 2018 last week.  The last few funding waves have been very small suggesting that FY 2018 reviews are virtually complete.  Unless we see unusual activity, our plan is to discontinue weekly updates on this funding year.  Cumulative funding as of Wave 54 is $2.19 billion.

Upcoming E-Rate Dates:

Early Form 486s for FY 2019:

Any applicant funded in Wave 1 (or subsequent funding waves issued before July 1st) may want to file an early Form 486.  An early filing is particularly attractive for an applicant wishing to have its invoices for recurring services discounted by its service provider(s) as of the start of the funding year.

The Form 486, which is normally filed once service begins, has a special early filing certification that may be used if the applicant is confident that services will start in July.  To file an early Form 486, be sure to check the following certification:

USAC’s Schools and Libraries News Brief of April 26, 2019 provides an overview of the selective review process.  A selective review, focused on an applicant’s competitive bidding and bid analysis, applies only to some applications.  It is considerably more detailed than found in a more typical PIA review.  The process is as follows:

• USAC issues selective review questions, notifying the applicant that a Selective Review Information Request (“SRIR”) is available in EPC.
• The applicant confirms receipt of the SRIR.
• The applicant responds to the SRIR through EPC uploading any necessary documents as appropriate.
• As with other reviews, an applicant may request an extension of time to respond.

As discussed in our newsletter of April 22nd, USAC’s News Brief also notes that applicant profiles in EPC have been unlocked.