Rural Health Care

Tips and Best Practices

Below are some Tips and Best Practices that USAC has found to be helpful to most participants with the application process.

Evergreen Contracts:

Most applicants to the Rural Health Care Program have contracts. Only those satisfying the program definition of a contract receive evergreen status (see Glossary of Terms: Evergreen Contracts).

Applicants that submit documentation that does not meet these requirements are treated as month-to-month, tariffed service and may not receive support prior to selection of the most cost-effective service after the required 28-day posting of the Description of Services Requested & Certification Form (Form 465) each funding year. Applicants with evergreen contracts need not post Form 465 during the life of that contract, but must post a Form 465 to add service, make cardinal changes, renew, or extend the contract (including optional extensions).

Urban Rates

Urban rates are provided for applicants to use as a "safe harbor" if they have had difficulty obtaining an urban rate on their own. The applicant is not required to use these posted rates.
Not all service types are available on the USAC website. If the applicant obtains a rate from a telecommunications provider, the rate quote document must meet the following guidelines:

  • Document must have carrier's logo and the name of the service representative
  • Service type and bandwidth must be clearly listed (T-1 1.544, Frame Relay, 128K, etc.)
  • The term of the rate must be clearly stated (month-to-month, 24-month contract, etc.)

Urban rates for contracts are available by calling USAC's Customer Service Support Center at 1-800-229-5476.

Rural Rate Documentation

When submitting documentation for your rural rate, please be sure that the amount on your bill reflects what is on the Funding Request and Certification Form (Form 466) and/or the Internet Service Funding Request and Certification Form (Form 466-A). It is easy to copy the data from a previous year's form to a current year, but often prices have changed. By double checking your rates, you will help USAC process your form more quickly.

FCC Registration Numbers:

DATED: April 4, 2005

Funding Year 2005 forms require an FCC Registration Number for all applicants, bill payers, and consultants retained to complete forms. No Funding Commitment Letters will be issued to applicants that have not provided the appropriate FCC Registration Numbers. An FCC Registration Number, or FCCRN, is a 10-digit number assigned to an entity or individual registering with the FCC that uniquely identifies the registrant in all transactions with the FCC.

For more information on FCC Registration Numbers, to apply for one online, or to request a paper application, please visit the FCC's website at www.fcc.gov and click on the link at the left of the page for FCC Registration Number (FCCRN) Commission Registration System (CORES). Registering online is the fastest way to obtain your FCCRN, which you will receive immediately after submitting your registration information.

Electronic Signatures:

DATED: April 4, 2005

You can file all forms with USAC electronically through e-certification, once you've successfully posted your initial Description of Services Requested & Certification Form (Form 465). All you have to do is enable E-certification - your electronic signature. E-Certification eliminates the steps of printing, signing, and mailing paper forms. E-certifying forms speeds up the application process by beginning the Form 465 28-day competitive bidding period immediately and by eliminating the wait for all forms to arrive by mail at USAC's processing center.

Remember: When you e-certify your forms you must reach the screen that shows a "Submit" button. Choosing "Save and Exit" does not submit your form to USAC. "Save and Exit" saves the form as incomplete so you can go back and edit it. Once the form is complete, click on "Submit" and your form will be sent to USAC immediately for processing.
For more information on E-Certification, please visit our website at http://www.rhc.universalservice.org/onlineforms/aboutecert.asp or contact USAC's Customer Service Support Center at 1-800-229-5476.

Internet or Telecommunications: Which should I select?

On Form 465 in Block 5 (Request for Services), Line 30, the applicant is asked to select the service for which it wishes to receive reduced rates. There are three choices: Telecommunications Services, Internet Services, or Both Telecommunications and Internet Services. USAC recommends selecting "Both Telecommunications and Internet Services." There is no harm to the applicant when making this selection. If the applicant decides not to pursue support for one or the other service, there is no liability. However, selecting either Telecommunications or Internet services limits the applicant to support for only the kind of service selected. Deciding after you have posted a Form 465, that you would like to change the type of service requested, requires re-posting and waiting another 28 days for bids. Unless you are positive that you require only Internet or Telecommunications services, select "Both Telecommunications and Internet Services."

28 Day Posting Period

The 28-day competitive bidding period begins when Form 465 is posted on the USAC website. It is intended to give service providers time to contact health care providers to discuss service needs and to submit proposals for those needs. However, health care providers may not sign a contract or enter into an agreement for services before the end of the 28-day posting period -- they must wait until day 29.

Health care providers that enter into an agreement before completion of the 28-day posting requirement are in violation of the FCC's competitive bidding rules for this program and may not receive support.


Last modified on 2/19/2008