On October 31, 2016, 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.”
While the FCC have not changed these regulations, the following administrative procedures have been left off the FY2017 administrative procedures:
Consortium Reviews – Letter of Agency: Consortia leaders must have Letters of Agency for all consortium members in order to act on their members’ behalf. The Letter of Agency must be signed by the consortium member before or on the FCC Form 471 certification postmark date.
Consortium Reviews – Deficient Letter of Agency: The consortium Letter of Agency must contain required elements that indicate the time frame the Letter of Agency is valid, the type of services requested, who is acting on behalf of the consortium and the consortium member’s signature, signature date, and authorization. These elements are required to demonstrate the authority and the time frame the consortium member has granted the consortium leader prior to or on the FCC Form 471 certification postmark date. If a Letter of Agency is missing any of the required elements, USAC will contact the applicant and request supporting documentation that will correct the LOA deficiency and/or the ministerial and clerical errors.
Deadline for Receipt of Forms and Appeals: USAC determines whether a program form or appeal has been timely filed based on the postmark date. For FCC Forms 471 that are completed and submitted to USAC, but not certified by the time the filing window closes, the applicants are given an additional 15 calendar days from the receipt of USAC’s notification to certify their form in order for it to be considered filed within the filing window.
On Premise Equipment for End-to-End Category 1 Service: Further Detail: In general, equipment that is located at the applicant site is considered for funding under the eligibility requirements for internal connections. However, if the on-premise equipment is an integral part of an end-to-end Category 1 service, recurring or nonrecurring charges for that service may include the cost of on-premise equipment used by the provider to provide that Category 1 service. Only certain types of equipment and configurations meet the eligibility requirements for Category 1 services.
Amortization of Upfront Costs for Service Provider Infrastructure: USAC funds a certain amount of upfront costs associated with service provider infrastructure on an amortized basis. USAC uses a $500,000.00 threshold, based on informal guidance from Commission staff, to apply this requirement.
