Announcements Archive

September 16, 2026

Q3 Performance Measures Testing Must Be Complete by Sept. 30

USAC reminds carriers subject to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) performance measures testing framework that they must complete a week of third quarter network speed and latency testing at a random sample of broadband subscriber locations supported by the Connect America Fund (CAF) and reported in the High Cost Universal Broadband (HUBB) portal by Wed., Sept. 30, 2026, and must submit and certify the results of that testing through the USAC Performance Measures Module (PMM) no later than Thurs., Oct. 15, 2026.

Carriers that fail to complete a full week of speed and latency testing at the selected subscriber locations by the end of the third quarter, on Sept. 30, 2026, or to submit and certify all third quarter test results for the full sample of selected subscriber locations for each Study Area Code (SAC) and obligated speed tier combination – or attest that a carrier cannot find active subscribers to test for a particular SAC and speed tier combination – by Oct. 15, 2026, may see an impact on future CAF support payments. 

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

• Alternative Connect America Cost Model (Original ACAM)
• Revised Alternative Connect America Cost Model (Revised ACAM)
• Rural Broadband Experiments (RBE)
• Alaska Plan
• Alternative Connect America Cost Model II (ACAM II)
• Connect America Fund Broadband Loop Support (CAF BLS)
• Connect America Fund Phase II Auction (CAF II Auction)

Carriers that do not conduct all required network performance measures testing during the third quarter because they do not have locations in the HUBB or cannot find active subscribers to test for a particular SAC and speed tier combination must attest to this (and provide an explanation) in the PMM by the Oct. 15, 2026, deadline and may be subject to verification review that subscribers are not available. Carriers that do not conduct all required network performance measures testing during the third quarter for any other reason – including carriers that obtain a subscriber location sample for a particular SAC and speed tier combination but do not have time to set up testing – must also attest to this (and provide an explanation) in the PMM by the Oct. 15, 2026, deadline and may see an impact on compliance calculations. (See FCC DA 26-277)

To help carriers identify any missing samples of subscriber locations for testing, missing test data or missing data certifications (or no-subscriber or no-testing attestations), the PMM features a new home page dashboard that provides a consolidated view of a carrier’s status in generating samples, uploading test data and certifying test data (or attesting to no subscribers or no testing) for each required SAC and speed tier combination every quarter. The dashboard also allows carriers to filter this information by quarter, fund, SAC and state to track their progress.

Read the full announcement here.

September 16, 2026

Q3 Performance Measures Testing Must Be Complete by Sept. 30

USAC reminds carriers participating in the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) and the Bringing Puerto Rico Together (Uniendo a Puerto Rico) Fund and the Connect USVI Fund (PR/USVI Funds) programs that they have until Wed., Sept. 30, 2026, to complete a week of third quarter network speed and latency testing at a random sample of broadband subscriber locations supported by the Connect America Fund (CAF) and reported in the High Cost Universal Broadband (HUBB) portal, and until Thurs., Oct. 15, 2026, to submit and certify the results of that testing through the USAC Performance Measures Module (PMM), in order to comply with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) performance measures testing framework.

Starting in the second half of 2026, RDOF and PR/USVI Funds carriers must resume quarterly speed and latency testing of their CAF-supported networks using new random samples of subscriber locations reported in the HUBB using location IDs from 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 waived testing requirements for RDOF and PR/USVI Funds carriers in the first two quarters of 2026 because of the recent transition to Fabric location ID reporting in the HUBB for these programs (details below), and required these carriers to obtain new samples of subscriber locations reported in the HUBB by Fabric location ID to resume testing starting in the third quarter of the year.

RDOF and PR/USVI Funds carriers that fail to complete a full week of speed and latency testing at all selected subscriber locations in their new samples by the end of the third quarter, on Sept. 30, 2026, or to submit and certify all third quarter test results for all selected subscriber locations for each Study Area Code (SAC) and obligated speed tier combination – or attest that a carrier cannot find active subscribers to test for a particular SAC and speed tier combination – by Oct. 15, 2026, may see an impact on future CAF support payments.

RDOF and PR/USVI Funds carriers that do not conduct all required network performance measures testing during the third quarter because they do not have locations in the HUBB or cannot find active subscribers to test for a particular SAC and speed tier combination must attest to this (and provide an explanation) in the PMM by the Oct. 15, 2026, deadline and may be subject to verification review that subscribers are not available. Carriers that do not conduct all required network performance measures testing during the third quarter for any other reason – including carriers that obtain a subscriber location sample for a particular SAC and speed tier combination but do not have time to set up testing – must also attest to this (and provide an explanation) in the PMM by the Oct. 15, 2026, deadline and may see an impact on compliance calculations. (See FCC DA 26-277)

To help carriers identify any missing samples of subscriber locations for testing, missing test data or missing data certifications (or no-subscriber or no-testing attestations), the PMM features a new home page dashboard that provides a consolidated view of a carrier’s status in generating samples, uploading test data and certifying test data (or attesting to no subscribers or no testing) for each required SAC and speed tier combination every quarter. The dashboard also allows carriers to filter this information by quarter, fund, SAC and state to track their progress.

Read the full announcement here.

September 16, 2026

Q3 Performance Measures Pre-Testing Must Be Complete by Sept. 30

USAC reminds carriers participating in the Enhanced Alternative Connect America Cost Model (Enhanced ACAM) program that they must complete a week of third quarter network speed and latency pre-testing at a random sample of broadband subscriber locations supported by the  Connect America Fund (CAF) and reported in the High Cost Universal Broadband (HUBB) portal by Wed., Sept. 30, 2026, and must submit and certify the results of that pre-testing through the USAC Performance Measures Module (PMM) no later than Thurs., Oct. 15, 2026, in order to comply with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) performance measures testing framework.

Carriers that fail to complete a full week of speed and latency pre-testing at the selected subscriber locations by the end of the third quarter, on Sept. 30, 2026, or to submit and certify all third quarter pre-test data for the full sample of selected subscriber locations for each Study Area Code (SAC) and obligated speed tier combination – or attest that a carrier cannot find active subscribers to test for a particular SAC and speed tier combination – by Oct. 15, 2026, may see withholding of support. 

Enhanced ACAM carriers that do not conduct all required network performance measures pre-testing during the third quarter because they cannot find active subscribers to test for a particular SAC and speed tier combination must attest to this (and provide an explanation) in the PMM by the Oct. 15, 2026, deadline and may be subject to verification review that subscribers are not available. (Enhanced ACAM carriers that do not have CAF-supported deployment data reported yet in the HUBB do not have to begin pre-testing yet, but should plan to do so within one quarter after they do.) Enhanced ACAM carriers that do not conduct all required network performance measures pre-testing during the third quarter for any other reason – including carriers that obtain a subscriber location sample for a particular SAC and speed tier combination but do not have time to set up testing – must also attest to this (and provide an explanation) in the PMM by the Oct. 15, 2026, deadline and may face support withholding. (See FCC DA 26-277)

To help carriers identify any missing samples, missing test data or missing data certifications (or no-subscriber or no-testing attestations), the PMM features a new home page dashboard that provides a consolidated view of a carrier’s status in generating subscriber location samples for testing, uploading test data and certifying test data (or attesting to no subscribers or no testing) for each required SAC and speed tier combination every quarter. The dashboard also allows carriers to filter this information by quarter, fund, SAC and state to track their progress.

Read the full announcement here.

September 2, 2026

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 Thurs., Oct. 1, 2026, to ensure continued carrier participation in the High Cost program. Failure to complete this certification by the Oct. 1 deadline 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. States and carriers that self certify are no longer required to also submit the annual ETC certification separately to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). (See  FCC 23-87, para. 134)

Read the full announcement here.

August 18, 2026

Compliance Reports Now Available for Second Quarter Network Testing

Carriers subject to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Performance Measures testing framework can now access compliance reports displaying results from network performance measures testing conducted in the second quarter of 2026 at a random sample of broadband subscriber locations supported by the  Connect America Fund (CAF) through the USAC Performance Measures Module (PMM). These compliance reports include details at the Study Area Code (SAC) level about the percent of upload and download speed tests and latency tests conducted in the second quarter of the year that met the network performance standards established by the FCC performance measures compliance framework. Please see  PMM Compliance Calculations for a detailed explanation of how the PMM calculates compliance.

Second quarter compliance reports are now available in the PMM for carriers participating in the following funds (as well as ACS):

• Alternative Connect America Cost Model (Original ACAM)
• Revised Alternative Connect America Cost Model (Revised ACAM)
• Rural Broadband Experiments (RBE)
• Alaska Plan
• Alternative Connect America Cost Model II (ACAM II)
• Connect America Fund Broadband Loop Support (CAF BLS)
• Connect America Fund Phase II Auction (CAF II Auction)

USAC encourages carriers to check these compliance reports to confirm that they submitted and certified all required second quarter test data – or attested to no subscribers or no testing for the quarter – for the full sample of subscriber locations selected for testing for each SAC and obligated speed tier combination, and to find out if their second quarter test results met FCC standards.

Carriers that have not yet submitted and certified all required second quarter test data – or all required no-subscriber or no-testing attestations – should do so as soon as possible to reduce the impact on future support payments. And carriers that are at risk of being out of compliance because their speed and latency test results did not meet FCC standards can potentially get back into compliance by submitting passing quarterly results going forward.

USAC also reminds carriers in the funds listed above that they must complete a full week of third quarter speed and latency testing by Wed. Sept. 30, 2026, and must submit and certify all test results for the full sample of selected subscriber locations for each SAC and obligated speed tier combination – or attest that they did not conduct testing because they cannot find active subscribers to test for a particular SAC and speed tier combination or another reason – no later than Thurs., Oct. 15, 2026. Failure to complete a full week of testing by the end of the third quarter, on Sept. 30, 2026, or to submit and certify all required test data – or all required no-subscriber or no-testing attestations – in the PMM by the Oct. 15, 2026, deadline may impact future CAF support payments. (See  FCC DA 26-277 and FCC DA 25-289).

Read the full announcement here.