Glossary of Terms
Use this USAC Glossary to find commonly-used terms and definitions. Click the ‘Terms’ column heading to sort the table alphabetically or use the search bar to filter results.
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Terms
|
Program |
Definitions |
|---|---|---|
| Companies Near Me Tool | Lifeline |
A tool that allows consumers to find a list of participating Lifeline providers in their area using their zip code or city and state. Available at https://cnm.universalservice.org/. |
| Competitive Bidding Process | E-Rate, Rural Health Care |
The process through which E-Rate and RHC applicants request bids for telecommunications and broadband services and equipment from service provider companies. USAC program rules stipulate that applicants to either program conduct a “fair and open” competitive procurement by posting bid requests to USAC’s online portals for a minimum of 28 days. |
| Competitive Eligible Telecommunications Carrier (CETC) | High Cost |
A telecommunications carrier that is certified by a state’s public utility commission or the FCC as eligible to receive High Cost support, but that is not the Incumbent Local Exchange Carrier, or ILEC (i.e. not the dominant local phone company). |
| Competitive Local Exchange Carrier (CLEC) | High Cost |
A category of telecommunications provider created by the 1996 Telecommunications Act to open the telecom marketplace to new entrants that would compete with the dominant local phone companies known as Incumbent Local Exchange Carriers, or ILECs. |
| Connected Care Pilot Program (CCPP) | Rural Health Care |
A three-year pilot program established by the FCC that ended on December 31, 2025. It provided up to $100 million of universal service support to help defray eligible HCPs’ costs of providing connected care services and helped assess how USF funds could have been used to support connected care services. In selecting pilot projects from eligible HCPs, the FCC had a strong preference for pilot projects that primarily benefitted low-income Americans or veterans. CCPP provided an 85% subsidy to eligible projects for eligible services. |
| Consolidated Post Audit Tracking System (CPATS) | Rural Health Care, Lifeline |
A central repository used by USAC’s audit teams to administer workflows across divisions. |
| Consortium | E-Rate, Rural Health Care |
A group of entities that apply together for universal service funding. In the E-Rate program, consortia can run competitive bid processes and/or apply for discounts on behalf of their members. In the RHC program, non-rural eligible HCPs may join consortia that are majority (50%+) rural but may not receive universal service support against their costs and expenses. |
| Consultant | E-Rate, Rural Health Care |
A company or individual (non-employee of the entity) selected to perform certain activities related to the application process on behalf of the applicant or service provider for a fee. A Letter of Agency (LOA) or consultant agreement must be in place before the consultant undertakes these activities. |
| Consultant Registration Number (CRN) | E-Rate, Rural Health Care |
A unique eight-digit identification number assigned by USAC to a consulting firm or individual consultant. |
| Contract Award Date (CAD) | E-Rate |
The date a contract is awarded to a service provider. The CAD, which must be a minimum of 28 days after the day the applicant certifies their FCC Form 470, is needed to certify an FCC Form 471. |
| Contract Expiration Date (CED) | E-Rate |
The date a contract ends between an applicant and service provider. |
| Contract Review | Rural Health Care |
The process of reviewing a contract obtained through competitive bidding in the current funding year for an “evergreen” endorsement. Evergreen contracts allow HCPs to bypass competitive bidding for the life of the contract and up to five years of voluntary extensions. Applicants may request a contract review when they submit the contract with an FCC Form 462 or 466. Learn more about evergreen status on the RHC program’s Evergreen Contracts page. |
| Contributor | Service Providers |
A telecommunications company that is required to make contributions to the USF based on the revenue it reports on the FCC Forms 499-A/Q. Companies that generate some or all of their revenue from interstate or international voice service, and that meet minimum revenue thresholds, are obligated to contribute to the USF. |
| Corrective SPIN Change | E-Rate, Rural Health Care |
A change to the SPIN featured on one or more FRNs that corrects a data entry error, reflects a merger or acquisition, or fixes some other type of error. It is not the result of a change to the actual service provider by the applicant. |
| Cost Company | High Cost |
A carrier participating in a High Cost legacy fund that calculates support based on carrier costs. |
| COVID‑19 Telehealth Program | Rural Health Care |
A program that provided funding to eligible HCPs to support the telecommunications services, information services, and connected devices needed to provide critical connected care during the COVID-19 pandemic. The program, established in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, was administered by USAC but was not a USF program. The final deadline for submitting invoices for reimbursement was October 31, 2023. |
| Credit Balance Refund | Service Providers |
A disbursement made to a USF contributor that overpaid USAC. |
| Data Collection Agent (DCA) | Service Providers |
A term describing USAC’s role as the FCC’s agent responsible for the administration, processing, filing, and distribution of carrier revenue data for the Telecommunications Relay Services fund, which compensates TRS providers for the costs of providing interstate telephone transmission services to those with hearing or speech disabilities; the cost recovery mechanisms for numbering administration and local number portability; and the universal service programs. |
| Data Transmission Services and/or Internet Access | E-Rate |
A Category One service type on the Eligible Services List that includes broadband connectivity and basic conduit access to the internet but does not include charges for content, equipment purchases, or other services beyond basic conduit access to the internet. This service type also covers lit or dark fiber and self-provisioned broadband networks. See also Category One Services. |
| De Minimis Exception | Service Providers |
A status for which a service provider qualifies for a given calendar year when the revenue reported on its corresponding FCC Form 499-A is such that the calculated annual contribution to the USF is less than $10,000. Service providers that are de minimis are still required to file FCC Form 499-A by April 1 each year, but are not obligated to file the quarterly FCC Form 499-Q. |
| De‑commitment and de‑obligation | Rural Health Care |
Terms referring to USF monies that are recovered from an applicant or redirected. The two terms may be used interchangeably. In the RHC program, funds will be de-obligated 60 days after the invoice filing deadline. |
| Debt Collection Improvement Act (DCIA) | Service Providers |
A law that requires federal agencies to transfer delinquent debts or claims to the Secretary of the Treasury for further collection action. Unpaid obligations to the USF more than 90 days past due are transferred to the Treasury for collection and enforcement. |
| Delinquency Notices | Service Providers |
Monthly letters that companies receive if they have fallen behind on payments owed to the USF. USAC may send more than one notice in one month if the contributor is behind on more than one invoice. |
| Delinquent Debt | Service Providers |
Any portion of an amount owed to the USF that is not paid by the stated due date. Amounts remaining unpaid 30 days after the due date are subject to interest at an annual rate of prime plus 3.5 percent. Amounts remaining unpaid 90 days after the due date are subject to an additional penalty at an annual rate of 6 percent. |
| Demand Payment Letter (DPL) [Lifeline] | Lifeline |
A request for payment sent to an applicant or responsible party for outstanding ACP overpayments. The DPL notifies the applicant that the outstanding balance detailed in the letter must be paid in CORES within 30 days of the date of the DPL. |
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