After you submit an FCC Form 471, Program Integrity Assurance (PIA) will review your application. During the review process, reviewers verify the eligibility of the schools and libraries and their discount levels. Reviewers also verify that the services requested are eligible for E-Rate discounts.

Reviewers will communicate with you with questions and requests for additional documentation. They may also ask for additional verification of your compliance with program rules. All PIA communications and requests for information will be handled within EPC. You will be given an opportunity to make allowable corrections to your form.

You can help facilitate a smooth review process:

• Have documentation ready
• Respond to inquiries and provide information promptly, by the deadline (usually 15 days)
• Ask for clarification if you have questions about the request or are unsure how to respond
• Request an extension if you need it

If the reviewers are going to deny a funding request, they will tell you so and give you one more chance to submit new information.

When the review is completed, USAC makes a funding decision on your application and issues a Funding Commitment Decision Letter (FCDL).

The Funding Commitment Decision Letter (FCDL) is a letter issued by USAC to both the applicant and the service provider that contains decisions on the funding requests. The letter states which funding requests of the Form 471 are approved or denied. Carefully review each FCDL for details on approved or denied requests and any adjustments made to the original requests, as well as next steps (such as the deadline for filing an appeal).

Funding commitment waves are generally issued once a week for current funding years. A wave contains Funding Commitment Decision Letters (FCDLs) for all FCC Forms 471 for which USAC is ready to issue a funding decision since the last wave.

All FCDLs will be delivered within EPC. The contact person listed on the FCC Form 471 will receive an email notifying him or her that an FCDL has been issued for a specific application. The FDCL itself will be located within EPC.