September 9, 2025
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 Wed.,Oct. 1, 2025, 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.
September 8, 2025
Webinar: Avoiding Common Audit Findings
Please join USAC on Thursday, October 30th from 2:00 PM ET to 3:00 PM ET to learn how to avoid common findings of High Cost beneficiary audits. In this session, USAC’s High Cost and Internal Audit staff will discuss common carrier errors discovered during beneficiary audits. Register Here
August 20, 2025
Compliance Reports Now Available for 2024 and Q2 2025 Network Testing
Carriers subject to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Performance Measures testing framework can now access compliance reports displaying annual results from network performance measures testing conducted in 2024 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 aggregated across all four quarters of 2024 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.
Annual compliance reports for 2024 – in addition to separate quarterly compliance reports for each of the four quarters of last year – are now available in the PMM for carriers participating in the following funds (as well as ACS):
Carriers in these funds, as well as carriers participating in the Bringing Puerto Rico Together (Uniendo a Puerto Rico) Fund and the Connect USVI Funds (PR/USVI Funds), can also now access compliance reports for the second quarter of 2025 through the PMM.
Read the full announcement here.
August 20, 2025
Compliance Reports Now Available for Second Quarter Network Pre-Testing
Carriers participating in the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) can now access compliance reports displaying results from network performance measures pre-testing conducted in the second quarter of 2025 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 that met the network performance standards established by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) performance measures compliance framework.
USAC encourages carriers to check these compliance reports to confirm that they submitted all required pre-test data for the second quarter and to find out if their pre-test results met FCC speed and latency standards. Please see PMM Compliance Calculations for a detailed explanation of how the PMM calculates compliance.
USAC also reminds RDOF carriers that they have until Tues., Sept. 30, 2025, to complete a week of third quarter network pre-testing at a random sample of CAF-supported broadband locations with active subscribers, and must submit and certify all third quarter pre-test results for each obligated speed tier for the full sample of subscriber locations selected for testing in the PMM no later than Wed., Oct. 15, 2025. RDOF carriers that fail to submit and certify all third quarter pre-test data for all obligated speed tiers for the full sample of selected locations in the PMM by the Oct. 15, 2025, deadline will face withholding of support. (See FCC DA 25-289)
Read the full announcement here.
August 14, 2025
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 participate in the High Cost program through the 54.314 certification system in the USAC E-File system, and deployment data for broadband service supported by the Connect America Fund (CAF) in their states through the Connect America Fund Broadband Map (CAF Map) and the new Connect America Fund State Map (CAF State Map). State regulators rely on Form 481 filings and broadband deployment data submitted to USAC by carriers that receive High Cost funding in order to perform the annual certification – due by Oct. 1 – of carriers under their jurisdiction to be able to take part in the program.
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.
The Connect America Fund (CAF), a centerpiece of the program, consists of roughly a dozen separate funds that disburse set monthly payments to carriers to deploy and maintain robust communications networks – which provide voice service and broadband at required speeds – in eligible areas over a defined timeline, with interim and final deployment milestone deadlines. Carriers participating in modernized funds that subsidize fixed broadband must connect a specific number of locations in eligible areas over the fund’s deployment timeline.
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 no later than Oct. 1 annually.
States may submit the certification to USAC through the 54.314 system in E-File. State officials may also send the certification by email, fax or mail, although USAC highly recommends filing online through the 54.314 system. States are no longer required to submit the annual ETC certification separately to the FCC. (See FCC 23-87, para. 134)
Read the full announcement here.
