Announcements Archive

June 18, 2026

Don’t Wait to Register Your Entity on SAM.gov and Obtain a UEI if You Invoice USAC

Beginning August 2026, USAC will use SAM.gov banking information to pay all Universal Service Fund (USF) invoices. To continue receiving USF disbursements, all service providers who use the FCC Form 474 and all E-Rate applicants who use the FCC Form 472/BEAR for invoicing must have an active SAM.gov account, a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) on their FCC Form 498, and a valid bank account associated with their SAM.gov account.

Service Providers and BEAR Filers Who Believe They Have an Active SAM.gov Account, UEI, and Linked Valid Bank Account should:

• Log into E-File (or EPC for BEAR filers) to confirm that the FCC Form 498 (Block 3, Line 24) includes a UEI.
• Log into SAM.gov to confirm that the UEI is connected to a valid bank account (specifically, the bank account designated to accept USF disbursements), the SAM.gov account is active, and check the annual renewal due date.

After completing these steps, service providers who file SPI Forms and E-Rate applicants who file BEAR Forms, will continue receiving USF disbursements. Please remember, you have to annually renew your SAM.gov account. The renewal due date is listed in your account on SAM.gov. You will not be able to receive USF disbursements if your SAM.gov account becomes inactive.

Service Providers and BEAR Filers Who Do Not Think They Have an Active SAM.gov Account, UEI, and Linked Valid Bank Account should:

• Visit SAM.gov and follow the registration process through to completion. Visit the SAM.gov Learn How to Register Your Entity page to get started.
• Once registered with SAM.gov, you will be automatically assigned a UEI.
• Log into SAM.gov to link the UEI to a valid bank account—specifically, the bank account designated to accept USF disbursements.
• Log in to E-File (or EPC for BEAR filers) to add the UEI to the FCC Form 498 (Block 3, Line 24).

Because the SAM.gov registration process can take up to six weeks, USAC recommends starting as soon as possible. For more information, visit USAC’s SAM.gov UEI Requirement webpage.

June 18, 2026

Request a Service Delivery Deadline Extension for Special Construction by June 30, 2026

To be eligible for E-Rate program discounts for special construction charges, special construction must be completed in time for the fiber to be lit or to be in use by the end of the relevant funding year (i.e., June 30, 2026 for FY2025). This deadline applies to leased lit fiber, leased dark fiber, or a self-provisioned network involving another technology. If the June 30 deadline is not met and you have not requested and received an extension, your special construction charges will not be eligible for support under program rules, and you will need to seek a waiver of the rule from the FCC.

If you sought support for special construction related to leased lit fiber, leased dark fiber, or self-provisioned networks for FY2025, you may request a one-year extension of the June 30 deadline by demonstrating that construction was unavoidably delayed due to weather or other reasons, or by the late issuance of an FCDL. You must demonstrate that the reason or reasons have unavoidably delayed special construction in a manner that prevents the fiber from being lit, or a self-provisioned network using another technology from being implemented, in time to be in use by the June 30 deadline.

Applicants must file an FCC Form 500 by June 30, 2026 to request this one-year extension. Go to FAQS: Eligible Fiber Services for additional information regarding deadlines and extensions in relation to non-recurring special construction charges.

If you have not yet received your FCDL and you need to request an extension of this deadline, file a customer service case in EPC and attach a completed Special Construction Deadline Extension Request (SCDER) to the case on or before June 30, 2026. Be sure to specify the funding year for your FRN(s) (spreadsheet defaults to FY2022 so be sure to update the funding year).

If you need assistance, you can open a customer service case in EPC or call the Customer Service Center at (888) 203-8100, Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. E.T.

June 18, 2026

Program Changes Effective June 18, 2026

On April 30, 2026, the FCC adopted a Report and Order and Order on Reconsideration (FCC 26-30) to strengthen E-Rate program integrity by creating a competitive bidding portal, streamlining program rules, and clarifying rules for transitioning services, cost allocations, and competitive bidding. In future funding years, it also eliminates the FCC Form 486 (Receipt of Service Confirmation and Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA) Certification Form) and moves that form’s CIPA certifications to the FCC Form 471. The following changes are effective as of today.

Invoice Filing Deadline. The FCC eased certain restrictions around the invoice filing deadline including allowing applicants and service providers to request a single 120-day extension of the original invoice filing deadline from USAC if the request is made before or within 15 days of the original invoice filing deadline.

For example, the invoice filing deadline for recurring services in FY2025 is Wednesday, October 28, 2026. If an applicant or service provider failed to file its request for reimbursement or

request an extension by that time, it could seek an extension until Thursday, November 12, 2026 (15 days after October 28). That would extend the invoice filing deadline to Thursday, February 25, 2027, which is 120 days after the original invoice filing deadline of October 28, 2026.

Beginning on June 18, 2026, you can request a one-time invoice deadline extension by opening a Customer Service Case in EPC before or within 15 days of the original Invoice Deadline Date (IDD) and providing the applicable Funding Request Numbers (FRNs). Once the extension is granted, the FRN(s) will be updated to reflect the new invoice deadline date. The customer service case will be updated with the new IDD, and the case will be closed. Note: This interim process will remain in place until an EPC system enhancement is available to facilitate these requests directly. USAC will let program participants know when this system enhancement will be available in an upcoming news brief.

The FCC also provided for a one-time, 60-day grace period for applicants and service providers to submit new, corrected versions of invoices that were timely filed before the invoice filing deadline but rejected by USAC on or after the invoicing deadline. The 60-day period to resubmit a corrected invoice automatically starts the day you get a USAC decision denying or reducing your reimbursement request. If your second submission is rejected, you may file a USAC appeal within 60 days of that decision.

Cost Allocations. For cost allocations, the FCC clarified that the ancillary use presumption explained in FCC 23-56 applies to all Category One (C1) services including data transmission services, wide area network services, ethernet, etc. That is, if at least 90% of an applicant’s requested recurring C1 service will be used for an eligible purpose during the funding year, the remaining ineligible use of the C1 service at eligible locations will be presumed to be ancillary and cost allocation is not required. USAC procedures have been updated to ensure this presumption is applied to all C1 services.

June 18, 2026

FY2026 Invoicing Begins on July 1

After USAC has committed funding and processed your FY2026 FCC Form 486, you or your service provider can begin invoicing USAC for the discounted share of the costs for the approved eligible equipment and services. Service provider(s) must have a FY2026 FCC Form 473 (SPAC) on file before any invoices can be processed or funding disbursed. Register for today’s E-Rate Service Providers Webinar to learn more about the FCC Form 473 annual certification, the invoicing process, and key reminders.

June 18, 2026

New FCC Form 498 UEI Data Tools

Beginning August 2026, USAC will use SAM.gov banking information to pay all Universal Service Fund invoices and will stop using existing banking information from the FCC Form 498. To receive USF disbursements, you must have an active SAM.gov account, a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) on an approved FCC Form 498, and a valid bank account associated with your SAM.gov account. USAC has created two tools to help you check your 498 UEI status. The USAC Service Provider 498 UEI Confirmation Tool shows whether a service provider has a UEI (yes or no) on its last approved FCC Form 498. The E-Rate Applicant 498 UEI Confirmation Tool is for applicants that file an FCC Form 472 for E-Rate disbursements to check their 498 UEI status.