Title 47, Part 54 — Universal Service

Basis and purpose.

Terms and definitions.

Intended use of federal universal service support.

Prohibition on participation: suspension and debarment.

Prohibition on use of funds.

Prohibition on use of certain Federal subsidies.

Requirement to remove and replace.

Supported services for rural, insular, and high cost areas.

Definition of eligible telecommunications carriers, generally.

Additional requirements for Commission designation of eligible telecommunications carriers.

Designation of eligible telecommunications carriers for unserved areas.

Relinquishment of universal service.

Service areas.

Monthly per-line limit on universal service support.

Eligible Capital Investment and Operating Expenses.

Administration of Connect America Fund Intercarrier Compensation Replacement.

Sale or transfer of exchanges.

Alaska Plan for Rate-of-Return Carriers Serving Alaska.

Support to a competitive eligible telecommunications carrier.

Broadband public interest obligations for recipients of high-cost support.

Connect America Fund Phase II Public Interest Obligations.

Connect America Fund for Price Cap Territories—Phase II.

Connect America Fund Alternative-Connect America Cost Model Support.

Connect America Fund for Price Cap Territories—Phase I.

Annual reporting requirements for high-cost recipients.

Certification of support for eligible telecommunications carriers.

Application process for Connect America Fund phase II support distributed through competitive bidding.

Broadband deployment reporting and certification requirements for high-cost recipients.

Alaska Plan for competitive eligible telecommunications carriers serving remote Alaska.

Alaska Connect Fund for competitive eligible telecommunications carriers receiving mobile support.

Elimination of high-cost support in areas with 100 percent coverage by an unsubsidized competitor.

Compliance and recordkeeping for the high-cost program.

Reporting and certification requirements for Alaska Plan participants.

Public interest obligations and performance requirements, reporting requirements, and non-compliance mechanisms for mobile legacy high-cost support recipients.

Terms and definitions.

Lifeline defined.

Lifeline support amount.

The National Lifeline Accountability Database.

Carrier obligation to offer Lifeline.

Activities of representatives of eligible telecommunications carriers.

Reimbursement for offering Lifeline.

Minimum service standards.

Consumer qualification for Lifeline.

Subscriber eligibility determination and certification.

[Reserved]

Off reservation Tribal lands designation process.

Link Up for Tribal lands.

Reimbursement for Tribal Link Up.

Annual certifications by eligible telecommunications carriers.

Recordkeeping requirements.

Validity of electronic signatures.

Low income program audits.

Annual reporting for eligible telecommunications carriers that receive low-income support.

Budget.

Emergency communications support for survivors.

Terms and definitions.

Eligible recipients.

Eligible services.

Competitive bidding requirements.

Requests for services.

Discounts.

[Reserved]

Cap.

§§ 54.508-54.509 [Reserved]

Ordering services.

Resale and transfer of services.

Payment for discounted services.

Distributing support.

Auditing and inspections.

§§ 54.517-54.518 [Reserved]

State telecommunications networks.

Children's Internet Protection Act certifications required from recipients of discounts under the federal universal service support mechanism for schools and libraries.

[Reserved]

Payment for the non-discount portion of supported services.

Terms and definitions.

Health care provider eligibility.

Health care support mechanism.

Consortia, telecommunications services, and existing contracts.

Determining the urban rate.

Determining the rural rate.

Calculating support.

Eligible recipients.

Eligible service providers.

Designation of Consortium Leader.

Letters of agency (LOA).

Health care provider contribution.

Eligible services.

Eligible equipment.

Eligible participant-constructed and owned network facilities for consortium applicants.

Off-site data centers and off-site administrative offices.

Upfront payments.

Ineligible expenses.

Data collection and reporting.

Cap.

Annual filing requirements and commitments.

Filing window for requests and prioritization of support.

Competitive bidding requirements and exemptions.

Funding requests.

Site and service substitutions.

Service Provider Identification Number (SPIN) changes.

Service delivery deadline and extension requests.

Invoicing process and certifications.

Duplicate support.

Prohibition on resale.

Election to offset support against annual universal service fund contribution.

Audits and recordkeeping.

Signature requirements for certifications.

Validity of electronic signatures and records.

Administrator of universal service support mechanisms.

Administrator's functions and responsibilities.

The Administrator's Board of Directors.

The Administrator's Chief Executive Officer.

Committees of the Administrator's Board of Directors.

Contributions.

Audit controls.

De minimis exemption.

Computations of required contributions to universal service support mechanisms.

Contributor reporting requirements.

Contributor recovery of universal service costs from end users.

Contributors' failure to report or to contribute.

Administrative expenses of the Administrator.

Audits of the Administrator.

Parties permitted to seek review of Administrator decision.

Filing deadlines.

General filing requirements.

Review by the Wireline Competition Bureau or the Commission.

Standard of review.

Time periods for Commission approval of Administrator decisions.

Universal service disbursements during pendency of a request for review and Administrator decision.

Use of competitive bidding for Rural Digital Opportunity Fund.

Rural Digital Opportunity Fund geographic areas, deployment obligations, and support disbursements.

Rural Digital Opportunity Fund provider eligibility.

Rural Digital Opportunity Fund application process.

Rural Digital Opportunity Fund public interest obligations.

Rural Digital Opportunity Fund reporting obligations, compliance, and recordkeeping.

Calculation of Connect America Fund Broadband Loop Support.

Calculation of CAF BLS Support for transferred exchanges.

Obligations of rate-of-return carriers and the Administrator.

Mobility Fund—Phase I.

Geographic areas eligible for support.

Provider eligibility.

Service to Tribal Lands.

Application process.

Public interest obligations.

Letter of credit.

Mobility Fund Phase I disbursements.

Annual reports.

Record retention for Mobility Fund Phase I.

5G Fund.

Geographic areas eligible for support.

Applicant eligibility.

Application process.

Public interest obligations and performance requirements for 5G Fund support recipients.

Letter of credit.

5G Fund support disbursements.

Annual reports.

Interim service and final service milestone reports.

Non-compliance measures for 5G Fund support recipients.

Record retention for the 5G Fund.

Cybersecurity and supply chain risk requirements.

General.

Calculation of incumbent local exchange carrier portion of nationwide loop cost expense adjustment for rate-of-return carriers.

Calculation of the rural growth factor.

Calculation of safety net additive.

Submission of information to the National Exchange Carrier Association (NECA).

[Reserved]

Submission of Information by the National Exchange Carrier Association.

Study Area Total Unseparated Loop Cost.

National and study area average unseparated loop costs.

Expense adjustment.

Uniendo a Puerto Rico Fund and Connect USVI Fund—Stage 2 for service to fixed locations.

Geographic areas eligible for Stage 2 fixed support.

Geographic area and locations to be served by Stage 2 fixed support recipients.

Term of Stage 2 fixed support, phase-down of legacy fixed support, and reporting obligations for phase-down support recipient.

Stage 2 fixed support application process.

Stage 2 fixed support deployment milestones.

Stage 2 public interest obligations for service to fixed locations.

Letter of credit for stage 2 fixed support recipients.

Uniendo a Puerto Rico Fund and the Connect USVI Fund—Stage 2 for mobile service.

Stage 2 mobile carrier eligibility.

Appropriate uses of Stage 2 mobile support.

Geographic area eligible for Stage 2 mobile support.

Provision of Stage 2 mobile support.

Stage 2 mobile additional annual reporting.

Disaster preparation and response measures.

Uniendo a Puerto Rico Fund and the Connect USVI Fund—Transitional support for mobile service.

Transitional support mobile carrier eligibility.

Appropriate uses of transitional mobile support.

Geographic area eligible for transitional mobile support.

Provision of transitional mobile support.

Transitional mobile support additional annual reporting.

Security reporting.

Spending plans for recipients of legacy frozen phase-down support.

Disaster preparation and response measures; Disaster Information Reporting System.

Definitions.

Participating providers.

Emergency Broadband Benefit.

Emergency Broadband Benefit Program support amount.

Participating provider obligation to offer Emergency Broadband Benefit Program.

Household qualification for Emergency Broadband Benefit Program.

Household eligibility determinations.

Enrollment representative registration.

Reimbursement for providing Emergency Broadband Benefit Program discount.

De-enrollment from the Emergency Broadband Benefit Program.

Expiration of Emergency Broadband Benefit Program.

Recordkeeping requirements.

Validity of electronic signatures.

Terms and definitions.

Eligible recipients.

Emergency Connectivity Fund eligible equipment and services.

Emergency Connectivity Fund competitive bidding requirements.

Emergency Connectivity Fund gift restrictions.

Emergency Connectivity Fund eligible uses.

Emergency Connectivity Fund service locations.

Emergency Connectivity Fund reasonable support amounts.

Emergency Connectivity Fund cap and requests.

Availability period of the Emergency Connectivity Fund.

Emergency Connectivity Fund requests for funding.

Emergency Connectivity Fund requests for reimbursement.

Duplicate support.

Treatment, resale, and transfer of equipment.

Audits, inspections, and investigations.

Records retention.

Children's Internet Protection Act certifications.

Administrator of the Emergency Connectivity Fund.

Appeal and waiver requests.

Definitions.

Participating providers.

Affordable connectivity benefit.

Affordable Connectivity Program support amounts.

Participating provider obligation to offer the Affordable Connectivity Program.

Household qualifications for Affordable Connectivity Program.

Household eligibility determinations and annual recertification.

Enrollment representative registration and compensation.

Reimbursement for providing monthly affordable connectivity benefit.

De-enrollment from the Affordable Connectivity Program.

Consumer protection requirements.

Recordkeeping requirements.

Validity of electronic signatures.

Affordable Connectivity Program Transparency Data Collection.

High-cost area benefit.

Applicability of Uniform Administrative Requirements for grants and cooperative agreements to non-Federal entities.

Neutrality requirement.

Prohibited activities and costs.

Ineligible entities.

Recordkeeping and audits.

Terms and definitions.

Cap, budgets, and duration.

Eligible recipients.

Eligible services and equipment.

Application for Pilot Program selection and reporting of information.

Competitive bidding requirements.

Requests for funding.

Discounts.

Requests for reimbursement.

Audits, inspections, and investigations.

Records retention and production.

Administrator of the Schools and Libraries Cybersecurity Pilot Program.

Appeal and waiver requests.

Children's internet Protection Act certifications.

Alaska Connect Fund Transition—ACF Transition.

Alaska Connect Fund Fixed—Fixed ACF.

Phase down support for Alaska Connect Fund Transition.