PUBLIC NOTICE
News Media Information 202 / 418-0500Federal Communications Commission
Fax-On-Demand 202 / 418-2830445 12th St., S.W.
TTY 202 / 418-2555
Internet: http://www.fcc.gov
Washington, D.C. 20554
ftp.fcc.govDA 12-1148
Released: July 18, 2012
WIRELINE COMPETITION BUREAU ANNOUNCES CARRY-FORWARD
OF UNUSED SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES UNIVERSAL SERVICE FUNDS
FOR FUNDING YEAR 2012
CC Docket No. 02-6
Pursuant to section 54.709(a)(3) of the Commission’s rules,1 on April 26, 2012, the UniversalService Administrative Company (USAC) submitted projections of demand and administrative expenses
for the federal Universal Service Fund for the third quarter of 2012.2 According to USAC’s projections,
$400 million in unused funds from funding years 2003-2010 is available to carry forward to increase
disbursements to schools and libraries via the E-rate program, more formally known as the schools and
libraries universal service program.3 In addition, while preparing projections of demand and
administrative expenses for the federal Universal Service Fund for the fourth quarter of 2012, USAC
identified another $650 million available to be carried forward, for a total of $1.050 billion in funding
available for funding year 2012.4 Section 54.507(a)(3) of the Commission’s rules states that “[a]ll funds
collected that are unused shall be carried forward into subsequent funding years for use in the [E-rate
program] in accordance with the public interest and notwithstanding the annual cap.”5
Consistent with the Commission’s rules, the Wireline Competition Bureau announces that $1.050
billion in unused funds will be carried forward to increase disbursements to schools and libraries in
funding year 2012 in excess of the annual cap.6
1 47 C.F.R. § 54.709(a)(3).
2 See Federal Universal Service Support Mechanisms Fund Size Projections for Third Quarter 2012, available at
http://www.usac.org/about/tools/fcc/filings/2012/Q3/USAC%203Q2012%20Federal%20Universal%20Service%20
Mechanism%20Quarterly%20Demand%20Filing.pdf.
3 Id. at 38.
4 Letter from Richard A. Belden, Chief Operating Officer, USAC, to Julie Veach. Chief, Wireline Competition
Bureau, FCC (dated July 10, 2012), available at http://apps.fcc.gov/ecfs/document/view?id=7021985425. USAC’s
Universal Service Support Mechanism Fund Size Projections for the Fourth Quarter 2012 is due to be submitted to
the Commission Aug. 2, 2012. Id.
5 47 C.F.R. § 54.507(a)(3). See also Schools and Libraries Universal Service Support Mechanism, CC Docket No.
02-6, Third Report and Order and Second Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, 18 FCC Rcd 26912, 26933-35,
paras. 52-57 (2003) (amending section 54.507(a) of the Commission's rules).
6 The 2012 funding year for purposes of the schools and libraries cap is July 1, 2012 to June 30, 2013. See 47
C.F.R. § 54.507(b).
For further information, please contact James Bachtell, Wireline Competition Bureau at (202)
418-7400 or TTY (202) 418-0484.
- FCC -
Edoc Internal Id:
315250
Released On:
Tue, 2012-07-17 20:00
Published On:
July 18 2012
Edoc ID:
DA-12-1148
