FCC Grants Extension for Invoice Extension Requests through Monday
October 28, 2016
Due to the technical issues that prevented applicants from submitting invoice deadline extension requests this morning, the FCC has granted all applicants and service providers an extension through Monday, October 31, 2015 at 11:59 p.m. EDT to submit invoice deadline extension requests. Therefore if you haven’t yet submitted your request for an extension, you have one more day to do so! Note: This does not extend the deadline to submit BEARs.
A huge thank you to the many applicants that contacted me this morning to alert me of this issue. You were instrumental in getting the tools fixed and the extension granted!
WIRELINE COMPETITION BUREAU EXTENDS DEADLINE FOR E-RATE PARTICIPANTS TO REQUEST INVOICE DEADLINE EXTENSIONS
CC Docket No. 02-6
The Wireline Competition Bureau (Bureau) announces that it is extending the deadline for E-rate participants with an October 28, 2016 invoice deadline for Funding Year 2015 to request an extension of the invoice deadline due to technical problems that might have prevented parties from filing.[1] Entities and service providers with an October 28, 2016 invoice deadline now have until 11:59 p.m. on October 31, 2016 to submit extension requests.[2]
Under Commission rules, applicants and service providers may receive a one-time, 120-day extension of the invoice deadline for any cause, if the billed entity or service provider requests the extension before the invoice deadline.[3] To request an extension, the Universal Service Company (USAC) created an Invoice Deadline Extension Tool, which generates an automatic approval or denial message for each funding request number (FRN) entered. Invoice deadline extensions requested after the last date to invoice for a particular FRN will be automatically denied. Invoice deadline extension requests can also be submitted by using USAC’s Submit a Question tool.
This morning, Friday, October 28, 2016, the Bureau learned that the Invoice Deadline Extension Tool was improperly denying invoice deadline extension requests because it was using the previous day as the last date to invoice. The Bureau also learned that, at the same time, the Submit a Question tool was experiencing technical problems that prevented parties from submitting invoice deadline extension requests through that tool. By shortly after noon today, USAC had restored the functionality of both tools.
Because of these unanticipated technical issues that might have prevented requests for invoice deadline extensions, the Bureau extends the October 28, 2016 invoice deadline until 11:59 p.m. on October 31, 2016. Entities and service providers that need a one-time, 120-day extension should follow the USAC guidance found here on the USAC website: http://usac.org/sl/tools/news-briefs/preview.aspx?id=724.
Julie Tritt Schell
PA E-rate Coordinator
717-730-7133 – o
717-730-9060 – f
jtschell@comcast.net
www.e-ratepa.org
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