USACHigh CostResources
Announcements

Announcements

August 28, 2024
Annual ETC Certification Due by Oct. 1

State utility commissions and carriers that self certify must complete the annual certification of eligible telecommunications carriers (ETCs) receiving High Cost support by Oct. 1, 2024, to ensure continued carrier participation in the High Cost program. Failure to complete this certification, which must be submitted to both USAC and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), may result in loss of High Cost funding for carriers to provide voice and broadband service in rural communities.

The annual ETC certification, mandated under 47 CFR Section 54.314 , requires state utility commissions to certify that carriers under their jurisdiction are eligible to receive High Cost support in their states and used all support collected in the proceeding calendar year only to provide, maintain and upgrade the facilities for which the support was intended and will do the same in the coming calendar year. Carriers that self certify (ETCs not subject to state jurisdiction) must certify that they used all High Cost support collected in the proceeding calendar year only to provide, maintain and upgrade the facilities for which the support was intended and will do the same in the coming calendar year.

States may submit the annual ETC certification to USAC through the 54.314 system, which is accessible through USAC’s E-File system, or by email, fax or mail. Carriers that self certify must submit the annual ETC certification to USAC using the 54.314 system. Read the full announcement here.

August 13, 2024
Form 481 and Broadband Deployment Data Now Available to State Officials

State utility commissions may now access the most recent FCC Form 481 filings for carriers under their jurisdiction that receive High Cost support through the 54.314 certification filing system in E-File, and deployment data for broadband service supported by the Connect America Fund (CAF) in their states through the Connect America Fund Broadband Map, or CAF Map.

The annual Eligible Telecommunications Carrier (ETC) certification, mandated under 47 CFR Section 54.314, requires state utility commissions to certify that carriers under their jurisdiction are eligible to receive High Cost support in their states and used all support received in the proceeding calendar year only to provide, maintain and upgrade the facilities for which the support was intended and will do the same in the coming calendar year. State regulators must complete the annual ETC certification for all carriers under their jurisdiction, and submit the certification to USAC and the FCC by Oct. 1 every year. Read the full announcement here.

August 13, 2024
Form 481 and Broadband Deployment Data Now Available to Tribal Officials

Tribal governments may now access the most recent FCC Form 481 filings submitted by telecommunications carriers that serve Native American communities with financing from the High Cost program through the 54.314 certification filing system in  E-File, as well as deployment data for broadband networks supported by the Connect America Fund (CAF) in Indian Country through the Connect America Fund Broadband Map, or CAF Map.

Part of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Universal Service Fund (USF), High Cost distributes billions of dollars to carriers each year to deliver essential telecommunications services in rural areas where the market alone cannot support the substantial cost of deploying network infrastructure and providing connectivity. Carriers must offer service at rates reasonably comparable to those available in urban areas. Read the full announcement here.

July 12, 2024
USAC Encourages Carriers to Submit and Certify Second Quarter Network Testing Results by July 8

USAC encourages carriers to submit and certify results from network speed and latency testing conducted in the second quarter of 2024 at a random sample of broadband subscriber locations supported by the Connect America Fund (CAF) in the USAC Performance Measures Module (PMM) no later than Mon., July 8, 2024, so that USAC can provide second quarter compliance reports to help carriers track their progress in meeting the requirements of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Performance Measures compliance framework.

USAC provides quarterly compliance reports to carriers that certify their test results within one week of the end of the quarter – no later than July 8, 2024, for second quarter results – to help them track their progress in meeting FCC speed and latency metrics and address any shortfalls.

Quarterly testing mandates currently apply to carriers in the following funds (as well as ACS):

Carriers in all these funds, as well as ACS, were required to complete a week of second quarter network testing by June 30, 2024. Read the full announcement here.

July 12, 2024
Form 481 Certification Functionality Back On

USAC has restored the certification functionality in the system that carriers use to file and certify Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Form 481 after fixing a problem that had been preventing the system from capturing the form’s mandatory supply chain certification for some carriers. The certify and bulk certify buttons in the Form 481 filing system are now active and carriers can now certify the annual filing, which is due by July 10 this year.

Form 481, which is accessible through the USAC E-file/Okta One Portal, collects financial and operations information used to validate carrier support. Although carriers must typically file and certify Form 481 by July 1, the FCC released an order on June 28, 2024, extending this year’s deadline to July 10, 2024, to give USAC time to research and address the cause of the missing supply chain certifications and give carriers time to go back into the system to certify the form now that the problem is fixed.

Please note that a separate problem is also preventing some carriers from downloading PDF versions of their Form 481 filings from the filing system following certification. USAC is still looking into this issue too and will make these PDF files available to carriers at a later time. Read the full announcement here.

July 12, 2024
Network Testing Results From 2023 Due Today

USAC reminds carriers subject to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Performance Measures testing framework that they must file and certify results from network speed and latency testing at a random sample of broadband subscriber locations supported by the Connect America Fund (CAF) conducted in all four quarters of 2023 in the USAC Performance Measures Module (PMM) by today, July 1, 2024.

Carriers that have not yet submitted all mandatory test data for 2023 – that is all test data for each obligated speed tier for the required subscriber location sample sizes for each of the four quarters of 2023 – should submit and certify the missing data by today, July 1, 2024, to address any remaining omissions before the deadline. And carriers that are at risk of being out of compliance because their 2023 speed and latency test results did not meet FCC standards can potentially avoid penalties by submitting passing quarterly results for 2024 now. Read the full announcement here.

June 28, 2024
FCC Extends Form 481 Deadline to July 10

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has extended the deadline for carriers to file and certify this year’s FCC Form 481 to July 10, 2024, while USAC addresses a problem that is preventing the Form 481 filing system from capturing the form’s mandatory supply chain certification for some carriers.

In an order released late today, the FCC temporarily waived the annual July 1 filing and certification deadline for Form 481. The certify and bulk certify buttons in the Form 481 filing system remain disabled while USAC researches and fixes the cause of the missing supply chain certifications. USAC encourages carriers to continue working on the filing in the meantime, however, and will follow up with additional information and guidance as soon as possible.

FCC Form 481, which is accessible through the USAC E-file/Okta One Portal, collects financial and operations information used to validate carrier support. USAC will notify users when the certification functionality is back on and the certify buttons are active again. If needed, USAC may ask some carriers to recertify their Form 481 filings at that time. Read the full announcement here.

June 28, 2024
Carriers Must Complete Q2 Network Testing by June 30 and Certify 2023 Quarterly Results by July 1

USAC reminds carriers subject to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Performance Measures testing framework that they must complete a week of second quarter network speed and latency testing at a random sample of broadband subscriber locations supported by the Connect America Fund (CAF) by June 30, 2024, and must file and certify results from testing conducted in all four quarters of 2023 in the USAC Performance Measures Module (PMM) no later than July 1, 2024.

This requirement applies to carriers participating in the following funds (as well as ACS):

While carriers in all of these funds (as well as ACS) have until the start of July to submit and certify their 2023 test results, they can currently view and download compliance reports for all four quarters of the year in the PMM if they have been submitting and certifying test data on a quarterly basis. First quarter compliance reports – including compliance reports that were previously missing from the system – are also now available in the PMM for these carriers if they filed and certified their first quarter test results with USAC by April 12, 2024. Read the full announcement here.

June 26, 2024
USAC Updates High Cost Detailed Payment Data Search Tool

USAC has updated the High Cost detailed payment data search tool to provide a more user-friendly platform for the public to access information about dollar amounts paid to eligible telecommunications carriers (ETCs) that receive High Cost funding to provide voice and broadband service in rural America.

The updated High Cost detailed payment data search tool, which contains granular payment information dating back 10 years, allows users to look up disbursement data by year and month; fund type; Form 498 ID, formerly known as service provider identification number (SPIN); study area code (SAC); and state. The payment information reflects certain prior-period adjustments for funding caps, support phase downs and budget control mechanisms. The underlying dataset is available for export here.

Read the full announcement here.

April 12, 2024
FCC Form 481 Filing System Now Open

All eligible telecommunications carriers (ETCs) participating in the High Cost and/or Lifeline programs may now access the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Form 481 for program year 2025 through the USAC E-file/Okta One Portal and begin the annual Form 481 filing process. FCC Form 481, which must be certified by July 1, 2024, collects financial and operations information used to validate carrier support, fulfilling the annual 54.313 reporting requirement for High Cost funding recipients.

Please join USAC for a webinar at 2 pm EDT on Thurs., May 23, 2024, to learn more about Form 481, including changes to the form for the current filing window. Register here.

Read the full announcement here.

March 21, 2024
Coming in 2024: Broadband Deployment Verification Reviews

Connect America Fund (CAF) deployment verification reviews are coming soon for funds with 2023 broadband deployment milestones.

Carriers participating in the Original Alternative Connect America Cost Model (ACAM), Revised ACAM, ACAM II, Connect America Fund II Auction (CAF II Auction) and Connect America Fund Broadband Loop Support (CAF BLS) funds may be subject to verification reviews now that the March 1, 2024, deadline for carriers to file their 2023 broadband deployment data in the High Cost Universal Broadband (HUBB) portal has passed.

These reviews, which confirm deployment to a random sample of locations certified in the HUBB, are intended to ensure that carriers receiving CAF payments are delivering high-speed Internet access that meets mandated performance standards to required location counts by relevant milestone deadlines in unserved and underserved communities eligible for support. Read the full announcement here.

March 21, 2024
USAC Publishes Latest Results of CAF Compliance Monitoring

As part of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Rural Broadband Accountability Plan, USAC has published the latest in a series of reports showing the results of the Connect America Fund (CAF) compliance process, an extensive oversight process that monitors carrier compliance with broadband deployment obligations to confirm that carriers receiving CAF support are using it to expand high-speed Internet access and close the digital divide in rural America.

USAC publishes these reports to support the Rural Broadband Accountability Plan , an FCC initiative launched in early 2022 to enhance oversight of carrier compliance with CAF deployment obligations and increase program transparency. Read the full announcement here.

All announcements can be found in the Announcements Archive.

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