Upcoming E-Rate Dates:
September 23 –
November 21 |
Remaining USAC 2019 fall applicant and tribal training sessions. (See USAC’s 2019 Training webpage for a schedule of the sessions.). |
| September 23 |
Deadline for submitting comments to the USDA’s proposal to revise the categorical eligibility of families in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (“SNAP”) (FNS-2018-0037). (See our newsletter of August 5th for E-rate implications.) |
| September 30 |
Last day to receive non-recurring services for FY 2018 and/or the deadline for requesting a one-year extension of the delivery and installation of such services. |
| October 28 |
Invoice deadline for FY 2018 recurring services. Note: For applicants and service providers unable to submit invoices by this date, October 28th is also the deadline for filing 120-day Invoice Deadline Extension Requests (“IDERs”). |
| October 28 |
Due date for nominations of six positions on the USAC Board of Directors (see DA 19-835) including the slot reserved for a library representative and one of the two slots reserved for school representatives. |
| October 29 |
First Form 486 deadline for FY 2019, covering funding committed in Waves 1-10. More generally, the Form 486 deadline is 120 days from the FCDL date or the service start date (typically July 1st), whichever is later. The upcoming Form 486 deadlines are:
Waves 1-10 10/29/2019
Wave 11 11/04/2019
Wave 12 11/08/2019
Wave 13 11/15/2019
Note: Applicants missing any Form 486 deadline should watch carefully for “Form 486 Urgent Reminder Letters” in their EPC News Feed. These Reminder Letters afford applicants 15-day extensions to submit their Form 486s without penalty.
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| October 31 |
Proposed deadline to update the business type in existing Form 498s. (See our newsletter of August 19th.) |
USAC Fall Applicant Training
USAC’s annual fall applicant training began with two 1½-day sessions last week in Washington, DC. USAC’s full applicant training series for 2019, including special tribal workshops, runs through November.
Both of last week’s sessions were well run but devoid of much new information as USAC awaits
several key decisions from the FCC regarding FY 2020. The most important of which is the future of Category 2 budgets and several possible changes in product and service eligibility.
Thirty Senators Oppose USF Cap
Thirty Democratic U.S. Senators signed a letter to FCC Chairman Pai requesting that the FCC discard any plans to set an overall funding cap on the Universal Service Fund (“USF”) (see our newsletter of June 3rd). The letter was spearheaded by Sen. Edward Markey (D-MA) who, while in the House of Representatives, was a leading advocate of the E-rate Program. The Senators’ letter argues in part that:
