USAC announced funding waves 001 and 002 for FY2013 on May 29, 2013.


What Is a Funding Wave?

USAC announces funding for Form 471s in waves. Early funding waves are generally for Priority 1 services only (telecommunications services and Internet access). A wave of letters will be mailed every week. As each wave is sent, USAC will announce its size and post state-by-state information on their web site.


How Do I Know If My School Was Awarded Funding?

USAC sends letters to inform applicants of their E-Rate discounts. The letter is called a Funding Commitment Decision Letter (FCDL). FCDLs are mailed in waves, rather than waiting for all applications to be fully processed before issuing any letters. There is no definitive way to know in advance which wave a particular FCDL might be in. Only those applicants who submitted a complete Form 471 within the application window will be receiving a FCDL.

You can check to see if you have a funding commitment at the link below by selecting Funding Year 2013, then either browsing by wave or using the advanced search tool:
http://www.usac.org/sl/tools/commitments-search/Default.aspx


What If My School Is Not Part of a Wave?

There are usually 50 or more funding waves for each funding year. If you are not awarded funding in the initial waves, hang tight and prepare for potential PIA reviews on your Form 471s.


What Do I Do After Receiving a Funding Commitment Decision Letter?

- Carefully review the FCDL for details on whether a request was approved or denied, and any adjustments that might have been made to the original request.
- If you disagree with a funding commitment decision, an appeal letter MUST be received by USAC within 60 days of the date that is on the decision letter (not the letter's postmark date).
- Make a note of the date of FCDL so you are aware of the deadline for filing a Form 486.
      - You have 120 days after the date of your FDCL or the start of services (whichever is later) to complete the Form 486.
      - Note that you cannot file a Form 486 for a new funding year before receiving a FCDL.
- If you want to ask vendors to discount your bills rather than paying the whole bill and submitting requests for reimbursement on your discounted portion, notify your vendors ASAP.


What If I Didn't Receive a FCDL for All of My Funding Requests?

USAC will issue Funding Commitment Decision Letters when decisions are made about any of the requests made in your application(s). If you submitted multiple Form 471 applications for services, you will receive more than one Funding Commitment Decision Letter.