January 8, 2025
Eligible Services E-Rate Question & Answer (Q&A) Session
On January 16, from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST), E-Rate subject matter experts will provide an overview of FY2025 E-Rate eligible services for applicants and service providers. This webinar is open to all experience levels. Please review the pre-requisites PRIOR to the webinar:
Register Here
December 18, 2024
FY2023 Invoicing Reminders
There are two important invoice deadlines for FY2023 recurring and non-recurring services coming up early in 2025. We are reminding you now to take the necessary steps to file and certify your invoices (for non-recurring services) on or before these deadlines or request a one-time 120-day invoicing deadline extension (for recurring services).
The deadlines are generally:
- January 28, 2025 for FY2023 non-recurring services. Applicants and service providers must certify their invoices or ask for an invoice deadline extension by this date.
- February 25, 2025 for FY2023 recurring services, if the applicant or service provider requested and received an invoice deadline extension of the original October 28, 2024 invoice deadline. Applicants and service providers must certify their invoices by this date, as USAC cannot grant a second invoice deadline extension.
Applicants and service providers who have not completed the invoicing process for their FY2023 recurring services should gather the customer bills and other documents now that they will need to accurately invoice USAC.
Regardless of the invoicing mode, service providers must file their FCC Form 473 (Service Provider Annual Certification (SPAC) Forms) in EPC for FY2023 before any invoicing can occur. You can verify this by locating the record for your service provider in the E-Rate Service Provider Download tool. The funding years for which the service provider has filed a SPAC Form are listed in the FCC Form 473 SPAC Filed column. See Module 2: File and FCC Form 473 in the EPC invoicing for Service Providers learning module.
If you are a service provider filing an FCC Form 474 (Service Provider Invoice (SPI) Form), you must have billed the applicant for its non-discount share. There is a presumption that your customer (the applicant) will pay your bill within 90 days.
If you are an applicant filing an FCC Form 472 (Billed Entity Applicant Reimbursement (BEAR) Form):
- File and certify an FCC Form 498 if you have not already done so. You must have certified – and USAC must have reviewed and approved – an FCC Form 498. Be sure to follow up with the required documentation (canceled check, bank statement, or similar document) that verifies your bank account information. Call USAC at (888) 641-8722 and choose option 4 (contributors) if you have questions.
- You must have paid the service provider in full for the cost of the services.
- You must have filed an FCC Form 486 to notify USAC that services have started.
- Make sure your service providers have completed their FCC Form 473 (Service Provider Annual Certification (SPAC) Forms) for FY2023 as noted above.
Here are some resources for additional assistance in filing these forms:
Applicants
Service Providers
December 18, 2024
FY2025 Eligible Services List Available
The FCC Wireline Communications Bureau (WCB) released the FY2025 Eligible Services List (ESL) (DA 24-1104) on October 25, 2024. You can review the FY2025 ESL on the Eligible Services List page to learn which services are eligible for E-Rate discounts for the upcoming funding year.
In the order, WCB revised the description of “wireless” service to read “Wireless (e.g., fixed wireless; microwave; mobile service for use on school buses; or mobile service for use with Wi-Fi hotspots)” and amended the explanation of “Wireless services and wireless Internet access” to note the eligibility of off-premises use of Wi-Fi hotspots and mobile wireless internet services. A new note was added that basic technical support, software upgrades, bug fixes, and security patches are eligible for school bus Wi-Fi network equipment.
The eligibility of off-campus wireless service on a school bus was clarified, as well as the requirement of cost allocation of certain off-campus use of E-Rate-funded services. WCB also clarified that the cost-effectiveness test for data plans and air cards applies only to on-campus use and noted that E-Rate’s eligibility rules for basic firewall services are unchanged for FY2025.
