Glossary of Terms

Terms	Program	Definitions
FCC Form 498 General Contact	E-Rate, Rural Health Care, High Cost, Service Providers	See General Contact.
FCC Registration Number (FCC RN)	E-Rate, Rural Health Care, High Cost, Service Providers	A 10-digit number assigned by the FCC to a business or individual that registers with the commission. It is associated with an entity’s Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) and is required before filing FCC Forms 499-A/Q. Originally called CORES ID.
Federal Communications Commission (FCC)	E-Rate, Rural Health Care, Lifeline, High Cost, Service Providers	An independent agency of the U.S. government established in 1934. The FCC is charged with regulating interstate and international communications by radio, television, wire, satellite, and cable in all U.S. states and territories. In 1997, the FCC designated USAC to be the independent not-for-profit corporation to administer the universal service fund, in accordance with its rules. The Commission oversees USAC’s administration of the USF.
Final Reviewer (FR)	Rural Health Care	The RHC staffer who conducts a second review of RHC program applications to confirm that the initial review complies with all program requirements. The FR checks each step of the initial review process to verify that the initial reviewer followed the correct procedures, asked the appropriate questions, and received complete answers. If the FR has any concerns, they will return the application to the initial reviewer for follow-up. See also Initial Reviewer.
Funding Commitment Letter (FCL)	Rural Health Care	A letter USAC sends to RHC program applicants and service providers estimating the USF support amount for the funding year based all of the information in an approved FCC Form 462 or 466.
Funding Request Number (FRN)	E-Rate, Rural Health Care	A unique identifier that USAC assigns to funding requests in completed FCC Form 462 (RHC program), FCC Form 466 (RHC program), and FCC Form 471 (E-Rate program) applications.
Funding Year (FY)	E-Rate, Rural Health Care	The time period during which universal service program support is provided. At USAC, funding years begin on July 1 and end on June 30 of the following calendar year: e.g., FY2026 begins July 1, 2026 and ends June 30, 2027.
Government Master Service Agreement (MSA)	Rural Health Care	An agreement that eligible HCPs use when they are seeking universal service support for services or equipment purchased from MSAs negotiated by federal, state, Tribal, or local government entities.
Health Care Provider (HCP)	Rural Health Care	Entity seeking support for telecommunications services under the RHC program. To see what kinds of HCPs are eligible for RHC support, visit USAC’s HCF Program Eligibility page and Telecom Program Eligibility page.
Improper Payment	E-Rate, Rural Health Care, Lifeline, High Cost, Service Providers	Any payment that should not have been made, or that was made in an incorrect amount under statutory, contractual, administrative, or other legally applicable requirements. Improper payments are subject to IPIA and IPERA rules. USAC calculates estimates of improper payment rates via the PQA program and provides this information to the FCC.
Information Request	Rural Health Care	An RHC program request sent to RHC applicants that seeks information, clarification, or missing documentation. RHC applicants have 14 calendar days to respond from the date USAC sent the request; applicants may also request a 7-day extension deadline during this period. If the applicant does not respond by the deadline, USAC will render a decision based on original submitted documentation or the form may be denied.
Initial Reviewer (IR)	Rural Health Care	The RHC staffer responsible for confirming that the FCC form and supporting documentation submitted by the applicant is compliant with program rules. IRs are required to follow FCC approved procedures when reviewing a form.
Internet Service Provider (ISP)	E-Rate, Rural Health Care, Lifeline, High Cost, Service Providers	An organization that provides services for connecting to the public internet. For the purposes of universal service support, ISPs may be referred to as service providers. See also Service Provider.
Letter of Agency (LOA)	E-Rate, Rural Health Care	A document authorizing the project coordinator of a consortium leader to apply for universal service support on behalf of other members of the consortium. A LOA may also authorize a consultant to act on behalf of an applicant or service provider.
Letter of Exemption (LOE)	Rural Health Care	A document providing written authorization to the project coordinator of a consortium to file forms and otherwise act on behalf of sites owned and operated by the consortium leader. For additional information about what’s required in an LOE, visit the RHC program’s Letter of Exemption page.
Ministerial and Clerical (M&C) Errors	E-Rate, Rural Health Care	Also known as M&C errors, these are data entry mistakes: e.g., mistyping a number or incorrectly calculating arithmetic. M&C errors on FCC forms may be corrected after the forms are certified by USAC.
Multiple Bill (Multi‑Bill) Circuit	Rural Health Care	A data or voice network connection between two locations (“circuit”) that involves more than one telecommunications carrier. Customers served by a multi-bill circuit receive a bill from each participating carrier.
My Portal	Rural Health Care	USAC’s legacy online forms submission tool for the RHC program. Applicants created accounts in My Portal by submitting an FCC Form 460 (HCF Program) or FCC Form 465 (Telecom Program). My Portal has been replaced by RHC Connect for FY2022 and future funding years for the HCF Program and FY2024 and future funding years for the Telecom Program. My Portal will continue to be used for CCPP projects.
Network Cost Worksheet (NCW)	Rural Health Care	A breakdown of costs associated with the network for which support is being sought under the HCF Program. It is a Microsoft Excel version of the expense items page of the FCC Form 462. The NCW can be exported from or imported into My Portal and RHC Connect. See also FCC Form 462.
Network Plan	Rural Health Care	A narrative detailing how a consortium of HCPs plans to create, deploy, and manage a proposed broadband network. All consortia applicants in the HCF Program are required to submit a network plan with the FCC Form 461. See the RHC program’s Network Plan page for additional information about what a plan must include.
Non‑Audit Recovery	Rural Health Care	A recovery of funds that is not identified through an audit.
Non‑Recurring Charges (NRC)	Rural Health Care	RHC program support for any one-time cost, including installation of service, equipment, etc. Also known as non-recurring support.
Non‑Standard Improper Payment	Rural Health Care	An improper payment not identified through an audit, review, or investigation. See also Improper Payment.
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM)	E-Rate, Rural Health Care, High Cost, Service Providers	An FCC proposal for new rules or changes to existing rules. Following the issuance of an NPRM, the FCC will seek public comments on the proposal.
Notice of Resolved Issue (NORI)	Rural Health Care, Lifeline	A sub-category of ADL that is issued if USAC’s Appeals team identifies that the USAC decision made during operational review was not compliant with FCC rules and requirements.

FCC Form 498 General Contact

E-Rate, Rural Health Care, High Cost, Service Providers

See General Contact.

FCC Registration Number (FCC RN)

E-Rate, Rural Health Care, High Cost, Service Providers

A 10-digit number assigned by the FCC to a business or individual that registers with the commission. It is associated with an entity’s Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) and is required before filing FCC Forms 499-A/Q. Originally called CORES ID.

Federal Communications Commission (FCC)

E-Rate, Rural Health Care, Lifeline, High Cost, Service Providers

An independent agency of the U.S. government established in 1934. The FCC is charged with regulating interstate and international communications by radio, television, wire, satellite, and cable in all U.S. states and territories. In 1997, the FCC designated USAC to be the independent not-for-profit corporation to administer the universal service fund, in accordance with its rules. The Commission oversees USAC’s administration of the USF.

Final Reviewer (FR)

Rural Health Care

The RHC staffer who conducts a second review of RHC program applications to confirm that the initial review complies with all program requirements. The FR checks each step of the initial review process to verify that the initial reviewer followed the correct procedures, asked the appropriate questions, and received complete answers. If the FR has any concerns, they will return the application to the initial reviewer for follow-up. See also Initial Reviewer.

Funding Commitment Letter (FCL)

Rural Health Care

A letter USAC sends to RHC program applicants and service providers estimating the USF support amount for the funding year based all of the information in an approved FCC Form 462 or 466.

Funding Request Number (FRN)

E-Rate, Rural Health Care

A unique identifier that USAC assigns to funding requests in completed FCC Form 462 (RHC program), FCC Form 466 (RHC program), and FCC Form 471 (E-Rate program) applications.

Funding Year (FY)

E-Rate, Rural Health Care

The time period during which universal service program support is provided. At USAC, funding years begin on July 1 and end on June 30 of the following calendar year: e.g., FY2026 begins July 1, 2026 and ends June 30, 2027.

Government Master Service Agreement (MSA)

Rural Health Care

An agreement that eligible HCPs use when they are seeking universal service support for services or equipment purchased from MSAs negotiated by federal, state, Tribal, or local government entities.

Health Care Provider (HCP)

Rural Health Care

Entity seeking support for telecommunications services under the RHC program. To see what kinds of HCPs are eligible for RHC support, visit USAC’s HCF Program Eligibility page and Telecom Program Eligibility page.

Improper Payment

E-Rate, Rural Health Care, Lifeline, High Cost, Service Providers

Any payment that should not have been made, or that was made in an incorrect amount under statutory, contractual, administrative, or other legally applicable requirements. Improper payments are subject to IPIA and IPERA rules. USAC calculates estimates of improper payment rates via the PQA program and provides this information to the FCC.

Information Request

Rural Health Care

An RHC program request sent to RHC applicants that seeks information, clarification, or missing documentation. RHC applicants have 14 calendar days to respond from the date USAC sent the request; applicants may also request a 7-day extension deadline during this period. If the applicant does not respond by the deadline, USAC will render a decision based on original submitted documentation or the form may be denied.

Initial Reviewer (IR)

Rural Health Care

The RHC staffer responsible for confirming that the FCC form and supporting documentation submitted by the applicant is compliant with program rules. IRs are required to follow FCC approved procedures when reviewing a form.

Internet Service Provider (ISP)

E-Rate, Rural Health Care, Lifeline, High Cost, Service Providers

An organization that provides services for connecting to the public internet. For the purposes of universal service support, ISPs may be referred to as service providers. See also Service Provider.

Letter of Agency (LOA)

E-Rate, Rural Health Care

A document authorizing the project coordinator of a consortium leader to apply for universal service support on behalf of other members of the consortium. A LOA may also authorize a consultant to act on behalf of an applicant or service provider.

Letter of Exemption (LOE)

Rural Health Care

A document providing written authorization to the project coordinator of a consortium to file forms and otherwise act on behalf of sites owned and operated by the consortium leader. For additional information about what’s required in an LOE, visit the RHC program’s Letter of Exemption page.

Ministerial and Clerical (M&C) Errors

E-Rate, Rural Health Care

Also known as M&C errors, these are data entry mistakes: e.g., mistyping a number or incorrectly calculating arithmetic. M&C errors on FCC forms may be corrected after the forms are certified by USAC.

Multiple Bill (Multi‑Bill) Circuit

Rural Health Care

A data or voice network connection between two locations (“circuit”) that involves more than one telecommunications carrier. Customers served by a multi-bill circuit receive a bill from each participating carrier.

My Portal

Rural Health Care

USAC’s legacy online forms submission tool for the RHC program. Applicants created accounts in My Portal by submitting an FCC Form 460 (HCF Program) or FCC Form 465 (Telecom Program). My Portal has been replaced by RHC Connect for FY2022 and future funding years for the HCF Program and FY2024 and future funding years for the Telecom Program. My Portal will continue to be used for CCPP projects.

Network Cost Worksheet (NCW)

Rural Health Care

A breakdown of costs associated with the network for which support is being sought under the HCF Program. It is a Microsoft Excel version of the expense items page of the FCC Form 462. The NCW can be exported from or imported into My Portal and RHC Connect. See also FCC Form 462.

Network Plan

Rural Health Care

A narrative detailing how a consortium of HCPs plans to create, deploy, and manage a proposed broadband network. All consortia applicants in the HCF Program are required to submit a network plan with the FCC Form 461. See the RHC program’s Network Plan page for additional information about what a plan must include.

Non‑Audit Recovery

Rural Health Care

A recovery of funds that is not identified through an audit.

Non‑Recurring Charges (NRC)

Rural Health Care

RHC program support for any one-time cost, including installation of service, equipment, etc. Also known as non-recurring support.

Non‑Standard Improper Payment

Rural Health Care

An improper payment not identified through an audit, review, or investigation. See also Improper Payment.

Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM)

E-Rate, Rural Health Care, High Cost, Service Providers

An FCC proposal for new rules or changes to existing rules. Following the issuance of an NPRM, the FCC will seek public comments on the proposal.

Notice of Resolved Issue (NORI)

Rural Health Care, Lifeline

A sub-category of ADL that is issued if USAC’s Appeals team identifies that the USAC decision made during operational review was not compliant with FCC rules and requirements.

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