On November, 3, 2015, the Universal Service Administrative Company submitted its Administrative Procedures to the Federal Communications Commission. This report is released annually in order to comply with the FCC’s 5th Report and Order which requires USAC “to submit to the Commission [. . .] a list summarizing all current USAC administrative procedures identifying, where appropriate, the specific rule(s) or statutory requirements that such procedures further, and those procedures that serve to protect the Universal Service Fund (USF) against waste, fraud and abuse.”
The changes between the FY2014 and FY2015 procedures were mainly made in order to bring the Administrative Procedures into compliance with the FCC’s E-rate Modernization Order. These changes included:
- Removing the previous procedures for Technology Plan Reviews and Pattern Analysis Information Requests and Certifications
- The Invoicing Equipment Delivery Within The Funding Year was updated to account for the FCC allowing early installation for On Premise Category One equipment for services that would start on July 1st of the funding year as well as allowing installation of Category Two equipment as early as April 1st before the start of the funding year.
- The PIA Alternative Discount Verification procedure was updated to remove the ability to extrapolate survey data and survey verifications must now include a statement of the number of students attending and the number of students eligible for the NSLP.
- The procedure around using the Community Eligibility Procedure (CEP) was updated to allow applicants to use the 1.6 multiplier that was not allowed in previous funding years.
- The contracting procedure was updated to state that applicants must have a “legally binding agreement” in place before the Form 471 is filed.
- The procedure around listing the Billed Entity on the Form 471 and Form 470 was changed. In previous years, the Billed Entity listed on the Form 471 must have been listed as the Billed Entity on the Form 470. New for this year is that the Billed Entity on the Form 471 can also be the entity as included in the RFP (if released). If the Billed Entity on the 471 was not listed as the Billed Entity on the Form 470, the Form 470 must have included the entity as a recipient of service on the Form 470 being referenced.
