FAQs

When using the Rurality Tier Search Tool, if you entered an address that is formatted differently than it is with USPS (ex: Avenue instead of St.), the tool may be unable to search for your address. To resolve this, you can search for your address in an online mapping tool (like Google Maps) to see the standardized address, and then re-enter that in the Rurality Tier Search Tool and try again. If you’re still having issues, please email RHC-Assist@usac.org for assistance.

The review time of an FCC Form 463 may fluctuate based on volume at time of receipt. If an invoice is rejected by USAC, the HCP will receive a notification email detailing the reason. Once the rejected invoice is back in the HCP’s queue, the HCP can make the necessary changes and resubmit the invoice. Please note that the invoice must be approved by the service provider again before it can be submitted to USAC for final approval. An invoice may be denied, rather than simply rejected, for reasons pertaining to program violations. Invoices that are denied cannot be resubmitted.

Upfront and one-time costs may be collected in their entirety at any point during your funding commitment period. If your upfront costs have been prorated over several years, you may only invoice for the prorated per-year funding cost.

There are a variety of reasons why you may not be able to select an FRN ID to invoice on. HCPs will not be able to add a line item to a new invoice if it is:

• Under “Service Provider Review” or “USAC Review.” You may have already submitted an invoice and it is either under service provider review or USAC review.
• USAC Approved – Pending Disbursement. The invoice may have already been approved by the service provider and USAC, but if the previous invoice has not yet been fully processed you will not be able to submit a new invoice. Payment disbursements occur twice a month.

In “Draft Status.” If the line item is already on a draft invoice, it cannot be added to another invoice. We recommend you only create one draft invoice at a time for each FRN, and delete any unwanted drafts.

There are a variety of reasons why Column O and Column L may be different:

• Column O is automatically calculated by multiplying Column L by Column M and Column N. If Column N (Percent of Expense Eligible) or Column M (Percent of Usage Eligible) are less than 100, then Column O will be reduced. Columns M and N are prepopulated from the FCC Form 462.
• Previously approved FCC Forms 463 may have been processed with over-invoiced amounts, resulting in a current cap. Review previously approved invoices to calculate how much is left in the commitment.
• Draft(s) may still be in My Portal, holding up commitment amounts and thus causing the system to cap funding in order to avoid over invoicing.