{"id":33849,"date":"2021-12-09T02:13:27","date_gmt":"2021-12-09T02:13:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/e-ratepaorg.local\/?p=33849"},"modified":"2022-01-04T02:51:28","modified_gmt":"2022-01-04T02:51:28","slug":"emergency-connectivity-fund-reimbursement-update-and-reminders","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/e-ratepa.org\/?p=33849","title":{"rendered":"Emergency Connectivity Fund Reimbursement Update and Reminders"},"content":{"rendered":"

December 9, 2021<\/span><\/p>\n

~ Be sure to include proof of delivery with BEARs ~<\/p>\n

Funding Commitment Update<\/strong><\/p>\n

In all, PA schools and libraries requested $132 million from the federal Emergency Connectivity Fund (ECF).\u00a0 To date, 5 funding waves have been issued, committing $58,496,641.\u00a0 Waves are released every two weeks and Wave 6 is expected to be issued in the next few days.\u00a0 No funding commitments have been issued yet for applications submitted in the second ECF application window, nor does it appear that any commitments have been issued for network build-out to unserved homes.<\/p>\n

FCC Sets Uniform Reimbursement Deadline for All ECF FY 2021 Applications<\/strong><\/p>\n

The FCC\u2019s original ECF Order stated that the invoice deadline for equipment delivered prior to the Form 471 submission date was 60 days from the FCDL date to submit reimbursement invoices.\u00a0 The State E-rate Coordinators\u2019 Alliance (SECA) sought an emergency waiver from the FCC to make August 29, 2022 the uniform reimbursement deadline for all ECF FY 2021 funding requests, and last week the FCC issued an Order, granting SECA\u2019s request.\u00a0 Therefore, the invoice filing deadline for all FY 2021 ECF funding requests is now 60 days from the date of the funding commitment decision letter (FCDL); a revised funding commitment decision letter (RFCDL) approving a post-commitment change or a successful appeal of previously denied or reduced funding; or August 29, 2022, whichever is later.\u00a0 The only exception to this deadline will be for network build-out FRNs which will have 60 days from the last date to receive service (which is 1 year from the FCDL date).<\/p>\n

Libraries Being Asked for Copies of Acceptable Use Policies<\/strong><\/p>\n

We have recently heard that some libraries are being asked during the ECF invoicing (BEAR) review process to submit copies of the AUPs that they\u2019re distributing to patrons when ECF-funded laptops\/tablets and hotspots are being checked out.\u00a0 AUPs are required to be distributed to these patrons, along with obtaining a signed Statement of Unmet Need. \u00a0Be sure to have these policies on-hand as you submit your ECF BEARs.<\/p>\n

Proof of Equipment Shipping or Delivery Date<\/strong><\/p>\n

In order to ensure that equipment was delivered after July 1, 2021, USAC requires that all reimbursement requests (BEARs or SPIs) include a copy of the vendor invoice \u2013 and proof of the shipping or delivery date.\u00a0 If a vendor invoice does not include a delivery or shipped date, supporting documentation that demonstrates that the equipment or services have been delivered or shipped (e.g., a packing slip or other proof of delivery) can be uploaded with the BEAR or SPI.\u00a0 The supporting documentation must be consistent with the timing of the delivery date that was listed on the BEAR or SPI.\u00a0\u00a0Note: I think this is what\u2019s causing the biggest delay in ECF BEAR processing.\u00a0 If you already submitted your BEAR and the vendor invoice didn\u2019t contain this information, find your ECF BEAR in the ECF Portal, and use the \u201cContact Reviewer\u201d button in the top right corner of the page and upload proof of the equipment delivery or shipping date.\u00a0 If you need help finding your BEAR in the ECF Portal, see screenshots below.<\/p>\n

Also, be sure that the make and model of the equipment and services listed on the vendor invoice matches what is listed on the ECF Form 471. \u00a0For lengthier invoice documents, USAC recommends including a \u2018cover letter\u2019 with the vendor invoice document or as a separate attachment that identifies where the listed equipment and services, the delivery date, cost breakdowns, and service start and end dates can be found within the vendor invoice. \u00a0This will aid in expediting the review process.<\/p>\n

BEAR\/SPI Invoicing\/Payment Process Explained<\/strong><\/p>\n

After the applicant has submitted the\u00a0ECF BEAR<\/a>\u00a0or the vendor has submitted the ECF SPI, USAC will review the request (along with the vendor invoice) to ensure it has met ECF rules.\u00a0 Once USAC has completed its review of a request for reimbursement, USAC will send an e-mail\u00a0ECF Reimbursement Decision Notification<\/a>\u00a0through the ECF Portal to all users with access to the request for reimbursement. \u00a0USAC issues this notification when it has sent the payment batch to the FCC for processing (this is a different procedure than is used for E-rate reimbursements, because ECF is federally-appropriated funding, not USF funding). \u00a0It can take up to five business days for the FCC to process the payment with the U.S. Treasury, and for the funds to be disbursed into the bank account on file with SAM.gov. \u00a0The U.S. Treasury will then issue a notification to the contacts listed in the applicant or service provider\u2019s SAM.gov account when amounts are deposited.<\/p>\n

Where to Find the Status of Your ECF Form 472 BEAR<\/strong><\/p>\n

The ECF Portal will show the status of the reimbursement request, although not in very granular terms.\u00a0 To find the ECF reimbursement status, follow these steps:<\/p>\n

1. Log into One Portal at:\u00a0\u00a0https:\/\/forms.universalservice.org\/portal\/login<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong>and select Emergency Connectivity Fund (ECF) \u2013 last option on the list:<\/strong>
\n\u00a0<\/strong>
\n\u00a0\"\"<\/strong>
\n2. From ECF Dashboard, click \u201cMy Forms and Requests\u201d<\/strong>
\n\"\"
\n3. Then select \u201cFCC Form 472\u201d from the drop-down list:<\/strong>
\n\"\"<\/p>\n

4. This page will show all of the BEARs submitted to date and the 5th<\/sup>\u00a0column will show each BEAR\u2019s stage (Incomplete, Certified, Processed).\u00a0 To see the actual BEAR Status\/Decision, click on the hyper-linked Form 472 BEAR Number:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u00a05. Then click on \u201cReimbursement Request Line Items\u201d:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0\"reimbursement\"<\/strong>
\n\u00a0<\/strong>6. The BEAR Reimbursement Status will be showing to the far right (Pending, Approved, Partially-Approved, Denied):<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0\"\"<\/p>\n

7. To determine why a reimbursement was modified, refer to the Communications Tab.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"communications\"<\/p>\n

Where to Find Detailed ECF Application and Reimbursement Data for All Applications<\/strong><\/p>\n

USAC maintains a vast amount of E-rate and ECF-related data in their Open Data platform.\u00a0 The ECF-specific data can be found at:\u00a0\u00a0https:\/\/www.emergencyconnectivityfund.org\/open-data\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n

If you have any questions, please don\u2019t hesitate to contact me!<\/p>\n

— Julie<\/p>\n

Julie Tritt Schell
\nPennsylvania E-rate Coordinator
\n717-730-7133 – o
\njtschell@comcast.net
\nwww.e-ratepa.org<\/p>\n\n

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December 9, 2021<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[52],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-33849","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-listserve_archive"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/e-ratepa.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33849","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/e-ratepa.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/e-ratepa.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/e-ratepa.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/e-ratepa.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=33849"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/e-ratepa.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33849\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/e-ratepa.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=33849"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/e-ratepa.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=33849"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/e-ratepa.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=33849"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}