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 |
|---|---|---|
| Withdrawn | Rural Health Care, Lifeline |
The status that USAC designates to an FCC form that has been removed or pulled out of the review queue at the request of the applicant. |
| Wide Area Network (WAN) | E-Rate |
A data* network that provides connections from within a school or library to other locations beyond the school or library. *The voice and video components of a WAN are not eligible for E-Rate discounts. |
| Whistleblower Alert | E-Rate, Rural Health Care, Lifeline, High Cost, Service Providers |
A hotline allowing members of the public to anonymously report suspected violations of universal service program rules to USAC. These reports can be made anonymously via the USAC Whistleblower Alert Form, by emailing WhistleblowerReports@usac.org, by calling (888) 203-8100, or by U.S. mail to: Attn: Fraud Risk Group |
| Wave | E-Rate |
A group of funding commitment notifications that USAC issues to E-Rate applicants and service providers on a given date. Waves are usually issued weekly. |
| Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) | High Cost, Service Providers |
A technology that digitizes analog voice signals and transmits them over the internet. VoIP calls may be placed between VoIP users or sent over the public switched telephone network (PSTN) to dial conventional phone numbers. |
| Vendor Selection Date | Rural Health Care |
The date on which an agreement is awarded to a service provider, or the service provider is selected by the RHC applicant. RHC program rules state that an applicant must wait a minimum of 28 days after posting the FCC Forms 461 or 465 on USAC’s website before selecting a service provider. |
| Urban/Rural Status | E-Rate |
A designation for E-Rate program applicants based on U.S. Census data. Entities in areas defined as rural by the FCC are entitled to additional E-Rate program funding in certain circumstances. Visit the E-Rate program’s Urban/Rural Status page for additional details. |
| Urban Rate | Rural Health Care |
The urban rate shall be a rate no higher than the highest tariffed or publicly available rate charged to a commercial customer for a functionally similar service provided within any city with a population of 50,0000 or more in that state. For an overview of the urban and rural rate-calculation process for FY2026, use RHC’s Urban and Rural Rates Tip Sheet. |
| Upfront Payments | Rural Health Care |
All non-recurring costs, other than reasonable and customary installation charges, that exceed $5,000. Upfront payments are only eligible for consortium applicants in HCF. (See 47 CFR§ 54.638 Upfront payments). |
| Universal Service Fund (USF) | E-Rate, Rural Health Care, Lifeline, High Cost, Service Providers |
Money collected from telecommunications companies and allocated to the objective of achieving universal service, per the 1996 Telecommunications Act. All interstate and international voice carriers operating in the U.S. must make contributions to the USF equal to a percentage of their interstate end-user revenues. The FCC updates this percentage, known as the contribution factor, quarterly. USAC’s role is to collect and disburse the USF. |
| Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) | E-Rate, Rural Health Care, Lifeline, High Cost, Service Providers |
The independent not-for-profit organization designated by the FCC as the neutral, third-party administrator of the USF and its four programs. Collectively, the fund disbursed more than $8.5 billion in universal service support in 2024. |
| Universal Service | E-Rate, Rural Health Care, Lifeline, High Cost, Service Providers |
The principle that all people in the United States should have access to telecommunications (voice and internet) services at reasonable rates. The USF, and later USAC, were established by the FCC to achieve this objective. |
| Tribal Partners | Lifeline, Tribal Nations |
Tribal governments, government agencies, advocates, and nonprofits serving Tribal communities who partner with Lifeline to generate awareness about the Lifeline program and support consumers with applying for and managing the Lifeline benefit. |
| Tribal Library E‑Rate Advocacy Program (T‑LEAP) | E-Rate, Tribal Nations |
A program to support Tribal E-Rate applicants in the E-Rate application process. T-LEAP matches participating public Tribal libraries and Tribal College and University libraries with their own Tribal Library Advocate (TLA) who provides one-on-one assistance in preparing E-Rate applications, applying to the program, invoicing, and performing other post-commitment processes. For more information about T-LEAP and to register, visit USAC’s T-LEAP page. |
| Telecommunications Relay Services (TRS) | Service Providers |
A type of telephone service that allows persons with hearing or speech disabilities to place and receive telephone calls. Information collected on the FCC Form 499-A is also used to calculate contributions to the Telecommunications Relay Service administrator. |
| Telecommunications Plant in Service (TPIS) | High Cost |
The cost of the property, plant, and equipment in a carrier’s operation. |
| Telecommunications Carrier | E-Rate, Rural Health Care, Lifeline, High Cost, Service Providers |
See Common Carrier. |
| Telecommunications | E-Rate, Rural Health Care, Lifeline, High Cost, Service Providers |
The transmission, between or among points specified by the user, of information of the user’s choosing, without change in the form or content of the information as sent and received. |
| Subscriber Line Charge (SLC) | High Cost |
The amount carriers charge customers for telecommunications service. |
| Study Area Code (SAC) | E-Rate, Lifeline, High Cost, Service Providers |
A unique number that USAC assigns to ETCs identifying the company by its service area. Companies must have at least one SAC per state in which they operate, but can have more than one SAC within a state if they have more than one service area. |
| Study Area Average Cost Per Loop (SACPL) | High Cost |
A cost metric, determined monthly by NECA, that is used to calculate High Cost support. |
| State Replacement Contract | E-Rate |
A state master contract, filed pursuant to a state-filed FCC Form 470, which can replace an existing state master contract that expires before the end of the upcoming funding year. |
| State Master Contract (SMC) | E-Rate |
A contract that is competitively bid and that a state government implements which can be used by eligible entities within the state to procure equipment or services, or both. Visit the E-Rate program’s State Master Contracts page for additional detail about considering an SMC as a bid for service. |
| State and Federal Partners | Lifeline |
State and federal government agencies who partner with Lifeline to increase program awareness, build and maintain database connections to qualify consumers for the Lifeline program, and support consumers in completing program processes. |
| Standard Improper Payment | Rural Health Care |
Any improper payment in the RHC program identified through a BCAP or OIG audit or PQA review. |
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