1. Surviving the USAC EPC Portal
Attend this session to share and compare experiences from the online Form 471 filing process. Receive highlights from the first FCC/USAC fall training session in DC. Friday, October 7, 2016; 1:30-2:15pm Tom Rolfes, Education I.T. Manager Office of the Chief Information Officer and Nebraska Information Technology Commission

2. Surviving the USAC EPC Portal
FY 2016 Filing Process
All C1 & C2 Applications that were properly filed will be funded
C1 fiber applications were funded for the first time
As of 9/26/2016, Over 27,000 applications, (60% of total applications), and over $600 million of funding approvals have been processed
Of NEBRASKA’s 1,362 FRNs
14 Cancelled (1%)
6 Denied (.5%)
1,089 Funded (80%) [$6.29 million out of $12.3 million; 51%]
253 Pending (18.5%)
Many FRNs were denied nationally because of misidentified services and inclusion of ineligible charges
Surviving the USAC EPC Portal

3. Surviving the USAC EPC Portal
FY 2016 Filing Process
FRN Status Tool just launched!
Search by:
Funding Year
State
BEN
CRN
SPIN
Service Type
Billed Entity Type
Form 471 Application Number
FRN
Wave #
Surviving the USAC EPC Portal

4. Surviving the USAC EPC Portal
EPC Fundamentals
My Landing Page--Quick Menu (upper right corner)
Funding Request Report
FCC Form 470
FCC Form 471
FCC Form 486
Appeal (New!)
Manage Users
Manage Organizations
USAC Website
Contact Us
Help
SPIN Change (Soon!)
Service Substitution (Soon!)
Form 500 (Soon!)
Surviving the USAC EPC Portal

5. Surviving the USAC EPC Portal
EPC Fundamentals
Funding Commitment Decision Letter (FCDL)
The Form 471 contact person will receive an message
EPC Landing Page > Notifications > FCDL/2016/Wave#
Generate Notification
Go to EPC News Feed
Print to PDF and archive copies
Make changes and corrections, if needed
Submit the Form 486 no later than 120 days after the FCDL or Service Start Date, whichever is later;
Report CIPA Compliance Status
Invoice USAC to receive funding
Surviving the USAC EPC Portal

6. Surviving the USAC EPC Portal
EPC Fundamentals
Form 498 Direct Payment Status
Nebraska has 494 Billed Entities
Only 124 (25%) have been approved for Form 498 disbursements
If a school, school district, library, library system, ESU or consortium ever hope to receive a Billed Entity Applicant Reimbursement (BEAR method), then a Form 498 I.D. is REQUIRED
The only Billed Entities not affected by the Form 498 will be those that ONLY receive discounts on their vendor invoices (SPI method)
Still needing to apply for a Form 498 I.D.?
Surviving the USAC EPC Portal

7. Surviving the USAC EPC Portal
Looking ahead to FY 2017
Minimal changes to EPC expected
Minimal changes to Form 471 expected
Minimal changes to Eligible Services List (published 9/12/2016)
USAC pledges to hire more people to expedite application processing
UPDATE Entity Profile Data between late November, 2016 and Jan. 1, 2017
Connectivity Questions
NSLP & Student Population Data
ONE Form 471 Filing Window “Rumored”
NSLP Data “Lock Down” in early January
Normal day filing window
Opening in early January
Closing in late March
Surviving the USAC EPC Portal

8. Surviving the USAC EPC Portal
Looking ahead to FY 2017
Eligible Services List, FY
Defines “campus” as “the geographically contiguous grounds where instructional buildings of a single eligible school are located”.
Category 2 is now defined as “the services necessary to transport or distribute broadband within one or more instructional buildings of a single school campus”
E.g. Two buildings of the same school across the street from each other are now considered Category 2
E.g. A single school with multiple campuses miles apart are considered Category 1
Category 1 is now defined as “the Wide Area Network (WAN) connecting multiple eligible schools or libraries”
E.g. Whether two schools are in the same building or two schools physically adjacent to each other, the WAN costs are Category 1
Surviving the USAC EPC Portal

9. Surviving the USAC EPC Portal
Looking ahead to FY 2017
The FCC is soliciting comments on Petitions for Waiver to allow subsidized broadband networks to be accessed by students at home, after hours for educational purposes:
Charlotte County Public Schools, Halifax County Schools; Virginia
Using TV White Space transmission to share the schools’ Internet
Boulder Valley School District
Sharing school Internet with an affordable housing complex
Comments are due November 3, 2016
Reply Comments are due December 5, 2016
Surviving the USAC EPC Portal

10. Surviving the USAC EPC Portal
Questions?? Tom Rolfes, Education I.T. Manager Office of the CIO/NITC SuAnn Witt, State E-rate Coordinator Nebraska Department of Education
Surviving the USAC EPC Portal