The FCC announced the release on November 17 of the revised Form 498 and related instructions that must be used by USAC in working with service providers who receive support from the four universal service support mechanisms.
The FCC announced the release on November 17 of the revised Form 498 and related instructions that must be used by the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) in working with service providers who receive support from the four universal service support mechanisms, including the E-rate program. The FCC's Wireline Competition Bureau said the form has been improved this year to better ensure that all service providers will provide remittance information when receiving the benefits of the universal service entities.
If the Form 498 is a revision, an authorization letter should specify which blocks are being revised. The letter must be on company letterhead, and must accompany all originals and other revisions. The previous version of the form no longer will be accepted. (Submissions using the old version of the form with a postmark of November 17 or later will be rejected automatically.)
The FCC said "it is incumbent upon the service provider" to keep the information current on the new Form 498, since it "could affect the timeliness of payments." The form also is used as the official record on file with USAC to collect contact and payment information from service providers – all of whom must complete these forms.
Service providers now have the option of completing these forms online. Upon completing the online submission, the service provider must print, sign and return the forms to USAC to be officially certified. (USAC is encouraging service providers to take advantage of online capabilities.)
The Form 498 (also known as the Service Provider Identification Number and Contact Information Form) is available on the USAC Web site.
