Submit Data in the HUBB

The HUBB Portal

USAC closely monitors compliance with broadband build-out mandates to ensure that carriers receiving Connect America Fund (CAF) support are expanding high-speed Internet access to close the digital divide in rural America. Carriers participating in funds with fixed broadband deployment obligations must build and maintain networks that provide voice service and broadband at required speeds to a set number of locations in eligible areas over a defined timeline, with interim and final milestone deadlines. And they must report their progress in meeting their CAF deployment obligations by filing and certifying deployment data annually with the High Cost Universal Broadband (HUBB) portal showing where they are using funding to deliver service. This information includes latitude and longitude coordinates, minimum speeds offered, date of deployment and number of units served for every location where mass-market, high-speed Internet service is available.

The HUBB conducts automated, real-time validation checks of the deployment data submitted by the carriers. The system validates, for instance, that a location’s latitude and longitude coordinates fall within an area eligible for funding and that the location is not a duplicate of one that has already been filed. The HUBB also checks to be sure that the date of deployment falls within the timeline of the fund in which the carrier participates and calculates carrier progress toward meeting the fund’s broadband build-out obligations, including interim and final deployment milestones. The HUBB will not accept locations that do not pass these automated validation checks and carriers will not receive credit for those deployments.

The data submitted to the HUBB is the foundation for the Connect America Fund (CAF) Map, an interactive online map that shows the impact of CAF support on broadband expansion in rural America. The map displays the geographic areas that are eligible for CAF support, as well as the specific fixed locations where carriers participating in the program have reported deployment in the HUBB. See the HUBB Dashboard for a high-level snapshot of deployment totals based on data certified in the system as of March 6, 2024, to reflect broadband deployment through Dec. 31, 2023, including deployment numbers by fund, speed tier and state. The HUBB Dashboard shows that as of Dec. 31, 2023, carriers had reported deployment to nearly 9.1 million fixed locations, including nearly 2.2 million fixed locations with speeds of a gigabit or faster.

In addition, the HUBB serves as a starting point for a more in-depth verification process  to confirm deployment to a random sample of locations reported in the system. All carriers participating in CAF programs with defined broadband build-out obligations are subject to this verification process, with verification reviews tied to annual deployment milestones, and should be prepared to submit documentation that serves as proof of deployment for each HUBB record selected for review. The HUBB is also a starting point for the  Performance Measures compliance framework, which requires carriers to conduct speed and latency testing of CAF-supported networks to ensure that broadband service subsidized by the Connect America Fund meets basic performance standards so that people living in rural communities have access to the same high-quality networks as those living in urban areas.

HUBB Filing Requirements by Fund

Carriers participating in the following funds have until March 3, 2025, to file and certify data for all locations deployed with CAF support in 2024 or certify that they have “no locations to upload”:

• Connect America Fund Phase II Auction (CAF II Auction)
  • CAF II Auction carriers face a milestone for deploying broadband with speeds, usage allowance and latency consistent with their winning auction bids, and must be at least 80 percent of the way toward meeting their final build-out obligations as of the end of 2024 (80 percent milestone).
• Alternative Connect America Cost Model (Original ACAM)
  • Original ACAM carriers face a milestone for deploying broadband at speeds of at least 10 megabits per second downstream and 1 megabit per second upstream (10/1 Mbps) and must be at least 80 percent of the way toward meeting their final 10/1 Mbps build-out obligations as of the end of 2024 (80 percent 10/1 Mbps milestone).
• Revised Alternative Connect America Cost Model (Revised ACAM)
  • Like Original ACAM carriers, Revised ACAM carriers face a milestone for deploying broadband at speeds of at least 10 megabits per second downstream and 1 megabit per second upstream (10/1 Mbps) and must be at least 80 percent of the way toward meeting their final 10/1 Mbps build-out obligations as of the end of 2024 (80 percent 10/1 Mbps milestone). In addition, Revised ACAM carriers face a milestone for deploying broadband at speeds of at least 25 megabits per second downstream and 3 megabit per second upstream (25/3 Mbps) and must be at least 60 percent of the way toward meeting their final 25/3 Mbps build-out obligations as of the end of 2024 (60 percent 25/3 Mbps milestone).
• Alternative Connect America Cost Model II (ACAM II)
  • ACAM II carriers face a milestone for deploying broadband at speeds of at least 25 megabits per second downstream and 3 megabit per second upstream (25/3 Mbps) and must be at least 60 percent of the way toward meeting their final 25/3 Mbps build-out obligations as of the end of 2024 (60 percent 25/3 Mbps milestone). ACAM II carriers must also meet similar deployment obligations for eligible locations on Tribal lands.
• Connect America Fund Broadband Loop Support (CAF BLS)
  • CAF BLS carriers faced a final, five-year milestone – for deploying broadband at speeds of at least 25 megabits per second downstream and 3 megabit per second upstream (25/3 Mbps) to 100 percent of required location counts – by end of 2023. CAF BLS carriers that were out of compliance with that five-year milestone have a one-year “cure period” to make up any deployment shortfalls and address any compliance gaps.
  • The HUBB will not accept any CAF BLS locations deployed before May 25, 2016, the effective date of the 2016 Rate of Return reform order, and carriers should not attempt to record any locations built prior to that date in the HUBB.
• Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF)
  • RDOF carriers must submit any locations deployed since July 1, 2019.
  • RDOF carriers must deploy broadband with speeds, usage allowance and latency consistent with their winning auction bids, and must be at least 40 percent of the way toward meeting their final build-out obligations as of the end of the third full calendar year following funding authorization – which is 2024 for carriers authorized in 2021 and 2025 for carriers authorized in 2022 or later (40 percent milestone).
  • RDOF carriers can take advantage of an optional 20 percent deployment milestone (deploying to at least 20 percent of required locations) by the end of the second full calendar year following funding authorization – which is 2024 for carriers authorized in 2022 – to reduce Letter of Credit (LOC) obligations (optional 20 percent milestone).
• Rural Broadband Experiments (RBE)
  • RBE carriers face rolling deployment milestones.
• Alaska Plan (other than carriers with individualized performance plans that only require them to maintain service at existing levels)
  • Alaska Plan carriers must also submit node and link data showing any new deployments or upgrades made to the middle-mile fiber and microwave nodes or networks needed to deliver broadband service in areas eligible for CAF support or certify “no nodes to upload.” (An Alaska Plan wireline carrier must certify middle-mile data on behalf of its wireless affiliate.)
  • Alaska Plan carriers with individualized performance plans requiring them only to maintain service at existing levels over the program’s 10-year support term do not have defined deployment obligations and therefore do not have to file in the HUBB (although they were subject to the five-year service milestone certification that applied to all Alaska Plan carriers as of the end of 2021). USAC encourages these carriers to certify annually that they did not deploy service to any new locations during the previous year. If these carriers do deploy new locations or upgrade service to existing locations at any speed, they should report those locations in the HUBB. An Alaska Plan carrier may become subject to defined deployment obligations due to changed circumstances (such as access to new middle-mile capacity) and may get credit for any locations certified before those revised obligations become effective.
• Bringing Puerto Rico Together (Uniendo a Puerto Rico) Fund and the Connect the USVI Fund (PR/USVI) Stage 2 fixed support
  • PR/USVI carriers must deploy broadband with speeds, usage allowance and latency consistent with their winning Stage 2 proposals, and must be at least 40 percent of the way toward meeting their final build-out obligations as of the end of 2024 (40 percent milestone).
• Enhanced ACAM
  • Enhanced ACAM is the first CAF program to report deployment data in the HUBB using the Broadband Serviceable Location Fabric (Fabric) – a single, standardized dataset of all locations in the U.S. where fixed broadband access is available or could be installed. Because Enhanced ACAM relies on the Fabric to determine broadband deployment obligations, Enhanced ACAM carriers must report deployment data in the HUBB using Fabric Location IDs.
  • How it works: Each Enhanced ACAM carrier will have access to an interim and final list of required locations – which are the Location IDs from the Fabric that identify the locations where the carrier must offer service – and must report deployment in the HUBB using Fabric Location IDs. The HUBB will validate that the reported Fabric Location IDs are included in that carrier’s list of required locations. For the HUBB filing due March 3, 2025, the HUBB will validate reported Fabric Location IDs against each carrier’s list of interim required locations from October 2024. (Those are posted online at https://www.fcc.gov/wireline-competition/interim-required-locations. Note that the interim required locations file from October 2024 includes only the locations identified as “required” in the July 2024 interim eligible locations file and is subject to future updates.) The FCC will finalize the required locations lists for Enhanced ACAM carriers no later than December 31, 2025, and the HUBB will validate the HUBB filing due March 2, 2026, and all subsequent HUBB filings against each carrier’s final list of required locations from its final eligible locations file.
  • About the Broadband Serviceable Location Fabric: The Fabric is a standardized dataset of all locations in the U.S. where fixed broadband Internet access service is, or should be, available. It serves as the foundation for FCC collection of fixed-broadband-availability data through the Broadband Data Collection and FCC mapping of fixed-broadband availability on the National Broadband Map. The FCC has contracted with CostQuest Associates to create the Fabric. For more information about the Fabric, including instructions for obtaining a Fabric license, please see https://help.bdc.fcc.gov/hc/en-us/articles/5375384069659-What-is-the-Location-Fabric.

Carriers with 2024 deployment milestones must complete additional milestone certifications as part of the annual HUBB filing – including separate milestone certifications for separate deployment obligations by speed tier – and may face verification reviews tied to those milestones. Carriers subject to defined deployment milestones must notify the FCC and USAC, and relevant state, U.S. Territory or Tribal governments if applicable, within 10 business days after the applicable deadline if they have failed to meet a milestone. (See 47 CFR Section 54.320(d)) Carriers that miss milestones face increased reporting obligations and potential loss of support.

In addition to certifying their location data, all carriers must also complete an annual certification in the HUBB between Jan. 1, 2025, and March 3, 2025, to confirm that their filing activity for 2024 is complete.

As part of this annual certification, carriers that did not deploy any locations in 2024 must still log into the HUBB and certify “no locations to upload” between Jan. 1, 2025,  and March 3, 2025. The “No locations to upload” certification functionality is only turned on in the HUBB between Jan. 1, 2025, and March 3, 2025. (Carriers that did deploy locations in 2024 can file and certify those locations throughout the year.)

Accurate geolocation data is the key to filing successfully with the HUBB. Please see the USAC Geolocations Methods Guide for an overview of different methods for collecting accurate latitude and longitude coordinates.

Ensuring Consistency with BDC and Fabric Data

The FCC Broadband Data Collection (BDC) is regularly updating the National Broadband Map to show where broadband service is available nationwide, location by location, as reported by Internet service providers. The BDC relies on the Broadband Serviceable Location Fabric (Fabric), a single, standardized dataset of all locations in the U.S. where fixed broadband access service is available or could be installed. The FCC has contracted with CostQuest Associates to create the Fabric.

HUBB reporting is not currently based on the Fabric for carriers receiving CAF support (with the exception of carriers participating in Enhanced ACAM). But the FCC expects carriers to compare the broadband deployment data that they are certifying in the HUBB with the broadband availability data that they are submitting in the BDC and to take steps to ensure the data aligns where appropriate.

As part of the process of reviewing/verifying data reported to the HUBB, the FCC or USAC will cross check fixed broadband deployment data submitted to the HUBB and BDC databases, and will require carriers to explain and correct identified discrepancies between the datasets.

The FCC does not expect carriers, when reviewing location data across the HUBB, BDC and Fabric to ensure consistency, to replace information in the HUBB with information from the BDC or the Fabric. Rather, carriers should examine these datasets and address general mismatches.

For example, if a carrier has certified in the HUBB that it has deployed broadband to four locations on a street where the Fabric only shows three serviceable locations, the carrier should determine the actual number of serviceable locations on the street and either: (1) change the number of locations in the HUBB to three, by removing the extra location that is not there, if there are only three locations; or (2) file a challenge to the Fabric to add the missing location, so that the Fabric reflects four locations on the street, if there are four locations.

In some instances, the Fabric may include locations that are not actually broadband serviceable, such as a dilapidated structure or stack of haybales. If a carrier discovers misidentified locations in the Fabric, the carrier should file a challenge to have those locations removed from the Fabric and should not report those locations in HUBB. (Please see the FCC Guidance on Location Reporting for Carriers Receiving CAF Support (DA 16-1363) for examples of locations not eligible for CAF support.)

The FCC reminds carriers that the Fabric reflects each broadband serviceable location as a single point or record defined by a set of geographic coordinates (latitude and longitude) that fall within the footprint of a building or structure. Each record in the Fabric also contains other attributes, such as primary address, unit count and building type code. Apartment buildings appear as a single location with multiple units in the Fabric, and carriers should treat them as a single location with multiple units for BDC and HUBB reporting purposes.

Similarly, a single residential parcel with two separate single-family homes may appear as a single location in the Fabric. If a carrier reports the two separate single-family homes as unique deployments in the HUBB, but filed an unsuccessful challenge to add the second home as a separate location to the Fabric, the carrier can file a challenge to adjust the unit count associated with that location in the Fabric to reflect the two units being served on the parcel.

To facilitate the type of analysis described above, CostQuest, with approval from the FCC, modified the User Tier 2 User Class Statement (“UCS”) for the CostQuest Data License Agreement in September of 2023. These modifications expand the FCC programs for which the Data and Derivatives can be used. In addition to permitting use of the Fabric in meeting Broadband Data Act (“BDA”) obligations, such as the Broadband Data Collection, the modified license now allows Tier 2 licensees, such as broadband Internet access service providers, to submit Fabric-derived filings to the FCC (and/or any FCC-established entities, e.g., USAC) for Universal Service Fund reporting obligations.

How to File

The HUBB portal is accessible through USAC’s E-File system. Please see USAC’s Multifactor Authentication Troubleshooting FAQs for help logging into E-File. Users must have one of the following HUBB entitlements to access the system:

• HUBB SPO (Service Provider Officer): allows the user to enter and certify data.
• HUBB SPU (Service Provider User): allows the user to enter but not certify data (typically provided to users inside the carrier).
• HUBB SPA (Service Provider Agent): allows the user to enter but not certify data (typically provided to agents outside the carrier).

The individual listed as the company officer on the carrier’s Form 498 can assign these entitlements. Company officers or general contacts with questions about logging into E-File or E-File passwords should contact customer operations via email or at (888) 641-8722. For E-File questions, customer service can only help the company officer or general contact listed on a carrier’s FCC Form 498. Others should direct E-File questions to the company officer or general contact who established the carrier’s authorized user entitlements. Please see USAC’s 498 ID webpage for help registering for a Form 498 ID, also called a Service Provider ID (SPIN).

Officers who encounter trouble adding system-specific entitlements to a user’s account should email hcquestions@usac.org with the following information: the carrier’s SPIN; the system (Form 481, HUBB, PMM) to be accessed; the email address the officer uses to log into E-File; and the email address and user role (SPO, SPU or SPA) of the person who needs the entitlement.

Late Filings

Eligible telecommunications carriers will see a reduction of at least seven days of support for late certifications. After the first seven days, USAC will continue to reduce support on a day-by-day basis, plus an additional seven days, until the required certification is complete. A carrier would lose seven days of support for a certification that is four days late, for instance. And a carrier would lose 21 days of support for a certification that is 14 days late. [Report and Order (FCC 14-190), section C, numbers 131-132].

The FCC grants a one-time, three-day grace period for late certifications across all fillings. This means that carriers will see no reduction in support for a late certification submitted within three days of the filing deadline if it is the first time that the certification is late. [Report and Order (FCC 14-190), paragraph 133].

This one-time grace period applies at the holding company level and across filing obligations. This means that if a carrier takes advantage of the three-day grace period for any filing, the grace period will not be available for any filing in subsequent years to other operating companies that serve different study areas but are owned by the same holding company. [Report and Order (FCC 14-190), paragraph 134].