(a) The Universal Service Administrative Company is appointed the permanent Administrator of the federal universal service support mechanisms, subject to a review after one year by the Federal Communications Commission to determine that the Administrator is administering the universal service support mechanisms in an efficient, effective, and competitively neutral manner.

(b)(1) The Administrator shall establish a twenty (20) member Board of Directors, as set forth in § 54.703. The Administrator's Board of Directors shall establish three Committees of the Board of Directors, as set forth in § 54.705:

(i) The Schools and Libraries Committee, which shall oversee the schools and libraries support mechanism;

(ii) The Rural Health Care Committee, which shall oversee the rural health care support mechanism; and

(iii) The High Cost and Low Income Committee, which shall oversee the high cost and low income support mechanism.

(2) The Board of Directors shall not modify substantially the power or authority of the Committees of the Board without prior approval from the Federal Communications Commission.

(c)(1) The Administrator shall establish three divisions:

(i) The Schools and Libraries Division, which shall perform duties and functions in connection with the schools and libraries support mechanism under the direction of the Schools and Libraries Committee of the Board, as set forth in § 54.705(a);

(ii) The Rural Health Care Division, which shall perform duties and functions in connection with the rural health care support mechanism under the direction of the Rural Health Care Committee of the Board, as set forth in § 54.705(b); and

(iii) The High Cost and Low Income Division, which shall perform duties and functions in connection with the high cost support mechanisms described in subparts J, K, M, and O of this part, and the low income support mechanisms described in subpart E of this part, under the direction of the High Cost and Low Income Committee of the Board, as set forth in § 54.705(c).

(2) As directed by the Committees of the Board set forth in § 54.705, these divisions shall perform the duties and functions unique to their respective support mechanisms.

(d) The Administrator shall be managed by a Chief Executive Officer, as set forth in § 54.704. The Chief Executive Officer shall serve on the Committees of the Board established in § 54.705.

[63 FR 70572, Dec. 21, 1998, as amended at 65 FR 38689, June 21, 2000; 65 FR 57739, Sept. 26, 2000; 66 FR 59727, Nov. 30, 2001; 68 FR 36943, June 20, 2003; 88 FR 55410, Aug. 15, 2023; 89 FR 25162, Apr. 10, 2024]

(a) The Administrator, and the divisions therein, shall be responsible for administering the schools and libraries support mechanism, the rural health care support mechanism, the high-cost support mechanism, and the low income support mechanism.

(b) The Administrator shall be responsible for billing contributors, collecting contributions to the universal service support mechanisms, and disbursing universal service support funds.

(c) The Administrator may not make policy, interpret unclear provisions of the statute or rules, or interpret the intent of Congress. Where the Act or the Commission's rules are unclear, or do not address a particular situation, the Administrator shall seek guidance from the Commission.

(d) The Administrator may advocate positions before the Commission and its staff only on administrative matters relating to the universal service support mechanisms.

(e) The Administrator shall maintain books of account separate from those of the National Exchange Carrier Association, of which the Administrator is an independent subsidiary. The Administrator's books of account shall be maintained in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. The Administrator may borrow start up funds from the National Exchange Carrier Association. Such funds may not be drawn from the Telecommunications Relay Services (TRS) fund or TRS administrative expense accounts.

(f) The Administrator shall create and maintain a website, as defined in § 54.5, on which applications for services will be posted on behalf of schools, libraries and rural health care providers.

(g) The Administrator shall file with the Commission and Congress an annual report by March 31 of each year. The report shall detail the Administrator's operations, activities, and accomplishments for the prior year, including information about participation in each of the universal service support mechanisms and administrative action intended to prevent waste, fraud, and abuse. The report also shall include an assessment of subcontractors' performance, and an itemization of monthly administrative costs that shall include all expenses, receipts, and payments associated with the administration of the universal service support programs. The Administrator shall consult each year with Commission staff to determine the scope and content of the annual report.

(h) The Administrator shall report quarterly to the Commission on the disbursement of universal service support program funds. The Administrator shall keep separate accounts for the amounts of money collected and disbursed for eligible schools and libraries, rural health care providers, low-income consumers, and high-cost and insular areas.

(i) Information based on the Administrator's reports will be made public by the Commission at least once a year as part of a Monitoring Report.

(j) The Administrator shall provide the Commission full access to the data collected pursuant to the administration of the universal service support programs.

(k) Pursuant to § 64.903 of this chapter, the Administrator shall file with the Commission a cost allocation manual (CAM) that describes the accounts and procedures the Administrator will use to allocate the shared costs of administering the universal service support mechanisms and its other operations.

(l) The Administrator shall make available to whomever the Commission directs, free of charge, any and all intellectual property, including, but not limited to, all records and information generated by or resulting from its role in administering the support mechanisms, if its participation in administering the universal service support mechanisms ends.

(m) If its participation in administering the universal service support mechanisms ends, the Administrator shall be subject to close-out audits at the end of its term.

(n) The Administrator shall account for the financial transactions of the Universal Service Fund in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles for federal agencies and maintain the accounts of the Universal Service Fund in accordance with the United States Government Standard General Ledger. When the Administrator, or any independent auditor hired by the Administrator, conducts audits of the beneficiaries of the Universal Service Fund, contributors to the Universal Service Fund, or any other providers of services under the universal service support mechanisms, such audits shall be conducted in accordance with generally accepted government auditing standards. In administering the Universal Service Fund, the Administrator shall also comply with all relevant and applicable federal financial management and reporting statutes.

(o) The Administrator shall provide performance measurements pertaining to the universal service support mechanisms as requested by the Commission by order or otherwise.

[63 FR 70573, Dec. 21, 1998, as amended at 65 FR 38690, June 21, 2000; 65 FR 57739, Sept. 26, 2000; 66 FR 59727, Nov. 30, 2001; 67 FR 11259, Mar. 13, 2002; 69 FR 5719, Feb. 6, 2004; 72 FR 54218, Sept. 24, 2007; 76 FR 73876, Nov. 29, 2011]

(a) The Administrator shall have a Board of Directors separate from the Board of Directors of the National Exchange Carrier Association. The National Exchange Carrier Association's Board of Directors shall be prohibited from participating in the functions of the Administrator.

(b) Board composition. The independent subsidiary's Board of Directors shall consist of twenty (20) directors:

(1) Three directors shall represent incumbent local exchange carriers, with one director representing the Bell Operating Companies and GTE, one director representing ILECs (other than the Bell Operating Companies) with annual operating revenues in excess of $40 million, and one director representing ILECs (other than the Bell Operating Companies) with annual operating revenues of $40 million or less;

(2) Two directors shall represent interexchange carriers, with one director representing interexchange carriers with more than $3 billion in annual operating revenues and one director representing interexchange carriers with annual operating revenues of $3 billion or less;

(3) One director shall represent commercial mobile radio service (CMRS) providers;

(4) One director shall represent competitive local exchange carriers;

(5) One director shall represent cable operators;

(6) One director shall represent information service providers;

(7) Three directors shall represent schools that are eligible to receive discounts pursuant to § 54.501;

(8) One director shall represent libraries that are eligible to receive discounts pursuant to § 54.501;

(9) Two directors shall represent rural health care providers that are eligible to receive supported services pursuant to § 54.601;

(10) One director shall represent low-income consumers;

(11) One director shall represent state telecommunications regulators;

(12) One director shall represent state consumer advocates;

(13) One director shall represent Tribal communities; and

(14) The Chief Executive Officer of the Administrator.

(c) Selection process for board of directors. (1) Sixty (60) days prior to the expiration of a director's term, the industry or non-industry group that is represented by such director on the Administrator's Board of Directors, as specified in paragraph (b) of this section, shall nominate by consensus a new director. The industry or non-industry group shall submit the name of its nominee for a seat on the Administrator's Board of Directors, along with relevant professional and biographical information about the nominee, to the Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission. Only members of the industry or non-industry group that a Board member will represent may submit a nomination for that position.

(2) The name of an industry or non-industry group's nominee shall be filed with the Office of the Secretary of the Federal Communications Commission in accordance with part 1 of this chapter. The document nominating a candidate shall be captioned “In the matter of: Nomination for Universal Service Administrator's Board of Directors” and shall reference FCC Docket Nos. 97-21 and 96-45. Each nomination shall specify the position on the Board of Directors for which such nomination is submitted. Two copies of the document nominating a candidate shall be submitted to the Wireline Competition Bureau's Telecommunications Access Policy Division.

(3) The Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission shall review the nominations submitted by industry and non-industry groups and select each director of the Administrator's Board of Directors, as each director's term expires pursuant to paragraph (d) of this section. If an industry or non-industry group does not reach consensus on a nominee or fails to submit a nomination for a position on the Administrator's Board of Directors, the Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission shall select an individual to represent such group on the Administrator's Board of Directors.

(d) Board member terms. The directors of the Administrator's Board shall be appointed for three-year terms, except that the Chief Executive Officer shall be a permanent member of the Board. Board member terms shall run from January 1 of the first year of the term to December 31 of the third year of the term, except that, for purposes of the term beginning on January 1, 1999, the terms of the six directors shall expire on December 31, 2000, the terms of another six directors on December 31, 2001, and the terms of the remaining six directors on December 31, 2002. Directors may be reappointed for subsequent terms pursuant to the initial nomination and appointment process described in paragraph (c) of this section. If a Board member vacates his or her seat prior to the completion of his or her term, the Administrator will notify the Wireline Competition Bureau of such vacancy, and a successor will be chosen pursuant to the nomination and appointment process described in paragraph (c) of this section.

(e) All meetings of the Administrator's Board of Directors shall be open to the public and held in Washington, D.C.

(f) Each member of the Administrator's Board of Directors shall be entitled to receive reimbursement for expenses directly incurred as a result of his or her participation on the Administrator's Board of Directors.

[63 FR 70573, Dec. 21, 1998, as amended at 67 FR 13226, Mar. 21, 2002; 88 FR 55410, Aug. 15, 2023]

(a) Chief Executive Officer's functions. (1) The Chief Executive Officer shall have management responsibility for the administration of the federal universal service support mechanisms.

(2) The Chief Executive Officer shall have management responsibility for all employees of the Universal Service Administrative Company. The Chief Executive Officer may delegate such responsibility to heads of the divisions established in § 54.701(g).

(3) The Chief Executive Officer shall serve on the Administrator's Board of Directors as set forth in § 54.703(b) and on the Committees of the Board established under § 54.705.

(b) Selection process for the Chief Executive Officer. (1) The members of the Board of Directors of the Administrator shall nominate by consensus a Chief Executive Officer. The Board of Directors shall submit the name of its nominee for Chief Executive Officer, along with relevant professional and biographical information about the nominee, to the Chairperson of the Federal Communications Commission.

(2) The Chairperson of the Federal Communications Commission shall review the nomination submitted by the Administrator's Board of Directors. Subject to the Chairperson's approval, the nominee shall be appointed as the Administrator's Chief Executive Officer.

(3) If the Board of Directors does not reach consensus on a nominee or fails to submit a nomination for the Chief Executive Officer, the Chairperson of the Federal Communications Commission shall select a Chief Executive Officer.

[63 FR 70574, Dec. 21, 1998, as amended at 88 FR 21442, Apr. 10, 2023]

(a) Schools and Libraries Committee—(1) Committee functions. The Schools and Libraries Committee shall oversee the administration of the schools and libraries support mechanism by the Schools and Libraries Division. The Schools and Libraries Committee shall have the authority to make decisions concerning:

(i) How the Administrator projects demand for the schools and libraries support mechanism;

(ii) Development of applications and associated instructions as needed for the schools and libraries support mechanism;

(iii) Administration of the application process, including activities to ensure compliance with Federal Communications Commission rules and regulations;

(iv) Performance of outreach and education functions;

(v) Review of bills for services that are submitted by schools and libraries;

(vi)-(viii) [Reserved]

(ix) The classification of schools and libraries as urban or rural and the use of the discount matrix established in § 54.505(c) of this chapter to set the discount rate to be applied to services purchased by eligible schools and libraries;

(x) Performance of audits of beneficiaries under the schools and libraries support mechanism; and

(xi) Development and implementation of other functions unique to the schools and libraries support mechanism.

(2) Committee composition. The Schools and Libraries Committee shall consist of the following members of the Administrator's Board of Directors:

(i) Three school representatives;

(ii) One library representative;

(iii) One service provider representative;

(iv) One Tribal community representative;

(v) One at-large representative elected by the Administrator's Board of Directors; and

(vi) The Administrator's Chief Executive Officer.

(b) Rural Health Care Committee—(1) Committee functions. The Rural Health Care Committee shall oversee the administration of the rural health care support mechanism by the Rural Health Care Division. The Rural Health Care Committee shall have authority to make decisions concerning:

(i) How the Administrator projects demand for the rural health care support mechanism;

(ii) Development of applications and associated instructions as needed for the rural health care support mechanism;

(iii) Administration of the application process, including activities to ensure compliance with Federal Communications Commission rules and regulations;

(iv) Calculation of support levels under § 54.609;

(v) Performance of outreach and education functions;

(vi) Review of bills for services that are submitted by rural health care providers;

(vii) Monitoring demand for the purpose of determining when the $400 million cap has been reached;

(viii) Performance of audits of beneficiaries under the rural health care support mechanism; and

(ix) Development and implementation of other functions unique to the rural health care support mechanism.

(2) Committee composition. The Rural Health Care Committee shall consist of the following members of the Administrator's Board of Directors:

(i) Two rural health care representatives;

(ii) One service provider representative;

(iii) Two at-large representatives elected by the Administrator's Board of Directors;

(iv) One State telecommunications regulator, one state consumer advocate; and

(v) The Administrator's Chief Executive Officer.

(c) High Cost and Low Income Committee—(1) Committee functions. The High Cost and Low Income Committee shall oversee the administration of the high cost and low income support mechanisms described in subparts J, K, M, O, and E of this part. The High Cost and Low Income Committee shall have the authority to make decisions concerning:

(i) How the Administrator projects demand for the high cost and low income support mechanisms;

(ii) Development of applications and associated instructions as needed for the high cost and low income, support mechanisms;

(iii) Administration of the application process, including activities to ensure compliance with Federal Communications Commission rules and regulations;

(iv) Performance of audits of beneficiaries under the high cost and low income support mechanisms; and

(v) Development and implementation of other functions unique to the high cost and low income support mechanisms.

(2) [Reserved]

(d) Binding Authority of Committees of the Board. (1) Any action taken by the Committees of the Board established in paragraphs (a) through (c) of this section shall be binding on the Board of Directors of the Administrator, unless such action is presented for review to the Board by the Administrator's Chief Executive Officer and the Board disapproves of such action by a two-thirds vote of a quorum of directors, as defined in the Administrator's by-laws.

(2) The budgets prepared by each Committee shall be subject to Board review as part of the Administrator's combined budget. The Board shall not modify the budgets prepared by the Committees of the Board unless such modification is approved by a two-thirds vote of a quorum of the Board, as defined in the Administrator's by-laws.

[63 FR 70574, Dec. 21, 1998, as amended at 65 FR 38690, June 21, 2000; 65 FR 57739, Sept. 26, 2000; 66 FR 59728, Nov. 30, 2001; 79 FR 49204, Aug. 19, 2014; 88 FR 55410, Aug. 15, 2023; 89 FR 25162, Apr. 10, 2024]

(a) Entities that provide interstate telecommunications to the public, or to such classes of users as to be effectively available to the public, for a fee will be considered telecommunications carriers providing interstate telecommunications services and must contribute to the universal service support mechanisms. Certain other providers of interstate telecommunications, such as payphone providers that are aggregators, providers of interstate telecommunications for a fee on a non-common carrier basis, and interconnected VoIP providers, also must contribute to the universal service support mechanisms. Interstate telecommunications include, but are not limited to:

(1) Cellular telephone and paging services;

(2) Mobile radio services;

(3) Operator services;

(4) Personal communications services (PCS);

(5) Access to interexchange service;

(6) Special access service;

(7) WATS;

(8) Toll-free service;

(9) 900 service;

(10) Message telephone service (MTS);

(11) Private line service;

(12) Telex;

(13) [Reserved]

(14) Video services;

(15) Satellite service;

(16) Resale of interstate services;

(17) Payphone services; and

(18) Interconnected VoIP services.

(19) Prepaid calling card providers.

(b) Except as provided in paragraph (c) of this section, every entity required to contribute to the federal universal service support mechanisms under paragraph (a) of this section shall contribute on the basis of its projected collected interstate and international end-user telecommunications revenues, net of projected contributions.

(c) Any entity required to contribute to the federal universal service support mechanisms whose projected collected interstate end-user telecommunications revenues comprise less than 12 percent of its combined projected collected interstate and international end-user telecommunications revenues shall contribute based only on such entity's projected collected interstate end-user telecommunications revenues, net of projected contributions. For purposes of this paragraph, an “entity” shall refer to the entity that is subject to the universal service reporting requirements in § 54.711 and shall include all of that entity's affiliated providers of interstate and international telecommunications and telecommunications services.

(d) Entities providing open video systems (OVS), cable leased access, or direct broadcast satellite (DBS) services are not required to contribute on the basis of revenues derived from those services. The following entities will not be required to contribute to universal service: non-profit health care providers; broadcasters; systems integrators that derive less than five percent of their systems integration revenues from the resale of telecommunications. Prepaid calling card providers are not required to contribute on the basis of revenues derived from prepaid calling cards sold by, to, or pursuant to contract with the Department of Defense (DoD) or a DoD entity.

(e) Any entity required to contribute to the federal universal service support mechanisms shall retain, for at least five years from the date of the contribution, all records that may be required to demonstrate to auditors that the contributions made were in compliance with the Commission's universal service rules. These records shall include without limitation the following: Financial statements and supporting documentation; accounting records; historical customer records; general ledgers; and any other relevant documentation. This document retention requirement also applies to any contractor or consultant working on behalf of the contributor.

[63 FR 70575, Dec. 21, 1998, as amended at 64 FR 60358, Nov. 5, 1999; 67 FR 11260, Mar. 13, 2002; 67 FR 79532, Dec. 30, 2002; 71 FR 38796, July 10, 2006; 71 FR 43673, Aug. 2, 2006; 72 FR 54218, Sept. 24, 2007; 82 FR 48777, Oct. 20, 2017]

(a) The Administrator shall have the authority to audit contributors and carriers reporting data to the Administrator. The Administrator shall establish procedures to verify discounts, offsets and support amounts provided by the universal service support programs, and may suspend or delay discounts, offsets, and support amounts provided to a carrier if the carrier fails to provide adequate verification of discounts, offsets, or support amounts provided upon reasonable request, or if directed by the Commission to do so. The Administrator shall not provide reimbursements, offsets or support amounts pursuant to subparts D, K, L and M of this part to a carrier until the carrier has provided to the Administrator a true and correct copy of the decision of a state commission designating that carrier as an eligible telecommunications carrier in accordance with § 54.202.

(b) The Administrator has the right to obtain all cost and revenue submissions and related information, at any time and in unaltered format, that carriers submit to NECA that are used to calculate support payments pursuant to subparts D, K, and M of this part.

(c) The Administrator (and NECA, to the extent the Administrator does not directly receive information from carriers) shall provide to the Commission upon request all underlying data collected from eligible telecommunications carriers to calculate payments pursuant to subparts D, K, L and M of this part.

[81 FR 24342, Apr. 25, 2016]

If a contributor's contribution to universal service in any given year is less than $10,000 that contributor will not be required to submit a contribution or Telecommunications Reporting Worksheet for that year unless it is required to do so to by our rules governing Telecommunications Relay Service (47 CFR 64.601 et seq. of this chapter), numbering administration (47 CFR 52.1 et seq. of this chapter), or shared costs of local number portability (47 CFR 52.21 et seq. of this chapter). The foregoing notwithstanding, all interconnected VoIP providers, including those whose contributions would be de minimis, must file the Telecommunications Reporting Worksheet. If a contributor improperly claims exemption from the contribution requirement, it will subject to the criminal provisions of sections 220(d) and (e) of the Act regarding willful false submissions and will be required to pay the amounts withheld plus interest.

[64 FR 41331, July 30, 1999, as amended at 71 FR 38797, July 10, 2006]

(a) Prior to April 1, 2003, contributions to the universal service support mechanisms shall be based on contributors' end-user telecommunications revenues and on a contribution factor determined quarterly by the Commission. Contributions to the mechanisms beginning April 1, 2003 shall be based on contributors' projected collected end-user telecommunications revenues, and on a contribution factor determined quarterly by the Commission.

(1) For funding the federal universal service support mechanisms prior to April 1, 2003, the subject revenues will be contributors' interstate and international revenues derived from domestic end users for telecommunications or telecommunications services, net of prior period actual contributions. Beginning April 1, 2003, the subject revenues will be contributors' projected collected interstate and international revenues derived from domestic end users for telecommunications or telecommunications services, net of projected contributions.

(2) Prior to April 1, 2003, the quarterly universal service contribution factor shall be determined by the Commission based on the ratio of total projected quarterly expenses of the universal service support mechanisms to the total end-user interstate and international telecommunications revenues, net of prior period actual contributions. Beginning April 1, 2003, the quarterly universal service contribution factor shall be determined by the Commission based on the ratio of total projected quarterly expenses of the universal service support mechanisms to the total projected collected end-user interstate and international telecommunications revenues, net of projected contributions. The Commission shall approve the Administrator's quarterly projected costs of the universal service support mechanisms, taking into account demand for support and administrative expenses. The total subject revenues shall be compiled by the Administrator based on information contained in the Telecommunications Reporting Worksheets described in § 54.711(a).

(3) Total projected expenses for the federal universal service support mechanisms for each quarter must be approved by the Commission before they are used to calculate the quarterly contribution factor and individual contributions. For each quarter, the Administrator must submit its projections of demand for the federal universal service support mechanisms for high-cost areas, low-income consumers, schools and libraries, and rural health care providers, respectively, and the basis for those projections, to the Commission and the Office of the Managing Director at least sixty (60) calendar days prior to the start of that quarter. For each quarter, the Administrator must submit its projections of administrative expenses for the high-cost mechanism, the low-income mechanism, the schools and libraries mechanism and the rural health care mechanism and the basis for those projections to the Commission and the Office of the Managing Director at least sixty (60) calendar days prior to the start of that quarter. Based on data submitted to the Administrator on the Telecommunications Reporting Worksheets, the Administrator must submit the total contribution base to the Office of the Managing Director at least thirty (30) days before the start of each quarter. The projections of demand and administrative expenses and the contribution factor shall be announced by the Commission in a public notice and shall be made available on the Commission's website. The Commission reserves the right to set projections of demand and administrative expenses at amounts that the Commission determines will serve the public interest at any time within the fourteen-day period following release of the Commission's public notice. If the Commission take no action within fourteen (14) days of the date of release of the public notice announcing the projections of demand and administrative expenses, the projections of demand and administrative expenses, and the contribution factor shall be deemed approved by the Commission. Except as provided in § 54.706(c), the Administrator shall apply the quarterly contribution factor, once approved by the Commission, to contributor's interstate and international end-user telecommunications revenues to calculate the amount of individual contributions.

(b) If the contributions received by the Administrator in a quarter exceed the amount of universal service support program contributions and administrative costs for that quarter, the excess payments will be carried forward to the following quarter. The contribution factors for the following quarter will take into consideration the projected costs of the support mechanisms for that quarter and the excess contributions carried over from the previous quarter. The Commission may instruct the Administrator to treat excess contributions in a manner other than as prescribed in this paragraph (b). Such instructions may be made in the form of a Commission Order or a public notice released by the Wireline Competition Bureau. Any such public notice will become effective fourteen days after release of the public notice, absent further Commission action.

(c) If the contributions received by the Administrator in a quarter are inadequate to meet the amount of universal service support program payments and administrative costs for that quarter, the Administrator shall request authority from the Commission to borrow funds commercially, with such debt secured by future contributions. Subsequent contribution factors will take into consideration the projected costs of the support mechanisms and the additional costs associated with borrowing funds.

(d) If a contributor fails to file a Telecommunications Reporting Worksheet by the date on which it is due, the Administrator shall bill that contributor based on whatever relevant data the Administrator has available, including, but not limited to, the number of lines presubscribed to the contributor and data from previous years, taking into consideration any estimated changes in such data.

[62 FR 41305, Aug. 1, 1997, as amended at 62 FR 65038, Dec. 10, 1997; 63 FR 2132, Jan. 13, 1998; 63 FR 43098, Aug. 12, 1998; 63 FR 70576, Dec. 21, 1998; 64 FR 41331, July 30, 1999; 64 FR 60358, Nov. 5, 1999; 66 FR 16151, Mar. 23, 2001; 67 FR 11260, Mar. 13, 2002; 67 FR 13227, Mar. 21, 2002; 67 FR 79533, Dec. 30, 2002; 68 FR 38642, June 30, 2003; 71 FR 38267, July 6, 2006; 76 FR 73876, Nov. 29, 2011]

(a) Contributions shall be calculated and filed in accordance with the Telecommunications Reporting Worksheet which shall be published in the Federal Register. The Telecommunications Reporting Worksheet sets forth information that the contributor must submit to the Administrator on a quarterly and annual basis. The Commission shall announce by Public Notice published in the Federal Register and on its website the manner of payment and dates by which payments must be made. An executive officer of the contributor must certify to the truth and accuracy of historical data included in the Telecommunications Reporting Worksheet, and that any projections in the Telecommunications Reporting Worksheet represent a good-faith estimate based on the contributor's policies and procedures. The Commission or the Administrator may verify any information contained in the Telecommunications Reporting Worksheet. Contributors shall maintain records and documentation to justify information reported in the Telecommunications Reporting Worksheet, including the methodology used to determine projections, for three years and shall provide such records and documentation to the Commission or the Administrator upon request. Inaccurate or untruthful information contained in the Telecommunications Reporting Worksheet may lead to prosecution under the criminal provisions of Title 18 of the United States Code. The Administrator shall advise the Commission of any enforcement issues that arise and provide any suggested response.

(b) The Commission shall have access to all data reported to the Administrator. Contributors may make requests for Commission nondisclosure of company-specific revenue information under § 0.459 of this chapter by so indicating on the Telecommunications Reporting Worksheet at the time that the subject data are submitted. The Commission shall make all decisions regarding nondisclosure of company-specific information. The Administrator shall keep confidential all data obtained from contributors, shall not use such data except for purposes of administering the universal service support programs, and shall not disclose such data in company-specific form unless directed to do so by the Commission. Subject to any restrictions imposed by the Chief of the Wireline Competition Bureau, the Universal Service Administrator may share data obtained from contributors with the administrators of the North American Numbering Plan administration cost recovery (See 47 CFR 52.16 of this chapter), the local number portability cost recovery (See 47 CFR 52.32 of this chapter), and the TRS Fund (See 47 CFR 64.604(c)(4)(iii)(H) of this chapter). The Administrator shall keep confidential all data obtained from other administrators and shall not use such data except for purposes of administering the universal service support mechanisms.

(c) The Bureau may waive, reduce, modify, or eliminate contributor reporting requirements that prove unnecessary and require additional reporting requirements that the Bureau deems necessary to the sound and efficient administration of the universal service support mechanisms.

[64 FR 41332, July 30, 1999, as amended at 66 FR 16151, Mar. 23, 2001; 67 FR 13227, Mar. 21, 2002; 67 FR 79533, Dec. 30, 2002]

(a) Federal universal service contribution costs may be recovered through interstate telecommunications-related charges to end users. If a contributor chooses to recover its federal universal service contribution costs through a line item on a customer's bill the amount of the federal universal service line-item charge may not exceed the interstate telecommunications portion of that customer's bill times the relevant contribution factor.

(b) [Reserved]

[67 FR 79533, Dec. 30, 2002, as amended at 68 FR 15672, Apr. 1, 2003; 71 FR 38797, July 10, 2006]

(a) A contributor that fails to file a Telecommunications Reporting Worksheet and subsequently is billed by the Administrator shall pay the amount for which it is billed. The Administrator may bill a contributor a separate assessment for reasonable costs incurred because of that contributor's filing of an untruthful or inaccurate Telecommunications Reporting Worksheet, failure to file the Telecommunications Reporting Worksheet, or late payment of contributions. Failure to file the Telecommunications Reporting Worksheet or to submit required quarterly contributions may subject the contributor to the enforcement provisions of the Act and any other applicable law. The Administrator shall advise the Commission of any enforcement issues that arise and provide any suggested response. Once a contributor complies with the Telecommunications Reporting Worksheet filing requirements, the Administrator may refund any overpayments made by the contributor, less any fees, interest, or costs.

(b) If a universal service fund contributor fails to make full payment on or before the date due of the monthly amount established by the contributor's applicable Form 499-A or Form 499-Q, or the monthly invoice provided by the Administrator, the payment is delinquent. All such delinquent amounts shall incur from the date of delinquency, and until all charges and costs are paid in full, interest at the rate equal to the U.S. prime rate (in effect on the date of the delinquency) plus 3.5 percent, as well as administrative charges of collection and/or penalties and charges permitted by the applicable law (e.g., 31 U.S.C. 3717 and implementing regulations).

(c) If a universal service fund contributor is more than 30 days delinquent in filing a Telecommunications Reporting Worksheet Form 499-A or 499-Q, the Administrator shall assess an administrative remedial collection charge equal to the greater of $100 or an amount computed using the rate of the U.S. prime rate (in effect on the date the applicable Worksheet is due) plus 3.5 percent, of the amount due per the Administrator's calculations. In addition, the contributor is responsible for administrative charges of collection and/or penalties and charges permitted by the applicable law (e.g., 31 U.S.C. 3717 and implementing regulations). The Commission may also pursue enforcement action against delinquent contributors and late filers, and assess costs for collection activities in addition to those imposed by the Administrator.

(d) In the event a contributor fails both to file the Worksheet and to pay its contribution, interest will accrue on the greater of the amounts due, beginning with the earlier of the date of the failure to file or pay.

(e) If a universal service fund contributor pays the Administrator a sum that is less than the amount due for the contributor's universal service contribution, the Administrator shall adhere to the “American Rule” whereby payment is applied first to outstanding penalty and administrative cost charges, next to accrued interest, and third to outstanding principal. In applying the payment to outstanding principal, the Administrator shall apply such payment to the contributor's oldest past due amounts first.

[72 FR 54219, Sept. 24, 2007]

(a) The annual administrative expenses of the Administrator should be commensurate with the administrative expenses of programs of similar size, with the exception of the salary levels for officers and employees of the Administrator described in paragraph (b) of this section. The annual administrative expenses may include, but are not limited to, salaries of officers and operations personnel, the costs of borrowing funds, equipment costs, operating expenses, directors' expenses, and costs associated with auditing contributors of support recipients.

(b) All officers and employees of the Administrator may be compensated at an annual rate of pay, including any non-regular payments, bonuses, or other compensation, in an amount not to exceed the rate of basic pay in effect for Level I of the Executive Schedule under 5 U.S.C. 5312.

Note to paragraph (b):

The compensation to be included when calculating whether an employee's rate of pay exceeds Level I of the Executive Schedule does not include life insurance benefits, retirement benefits (including payments to 401(k) plans), health insurance benefits, or other similar benefits, provided that any such benefits are reasonably comparable to benefits that are provided to employees of the federal government.

(c) The Administrator shall submit to the Commission projected quarterly budgets at least sixty (60) days prior to the start of every quarter. The Commission must approve the projected quarterly budgets before the Administrator disburses funds under the federal universal service support mechanisms. The administrative expenses incurred by the Administrator in connection with the schools and libraries support mechanism, the rural health care support mechanism, the high-cost support mechanism, and the low income support mechanism shall be deducted from the annual funding of each respective support mechanism. The expenses deducted from the annual funding for each support mechanism also shall include the Administrator's joint and common costs allocated to each support mechanism pursuant to the cost allocation manual filed by the Administrator under § 64.903 of this chapter.

[63 FR 70576, Dec. 21, 1998, as amended at 65 FR 38690, June 21, 2000; 65 FR 57739, Sept. 26, 2000; 66 FR 59728, Nov. 30, 2001; 69 FR 5719, Feb. 6, 2004; 76 FR 73877, Nov. 29, 2011]

The Administrator shall obtain and pay for an annual audit conducted by an independent auditor to examine its operations and books of account to determine, among other things, whether the Administrator is properly administering the universal service support mechanisms to prevent fraud, waste, and abuse:

(a) Before selecting an independent auditor, the Administrator shall submit preliminary audit requirements, including the proposed scope of the audit and the extent of compliance and substantive testing, to the Office of Managing Director.

(b) The Office of Managing Director shall review the preliminary audit requirements to determine whether they are adequate to meet the audit objectives. The Office of Managing Director shall prescribe modifications that shall be incorporated into the final audit requirements.

(c) After the audit requirements have been approved by the Office of Managing Director, the Administrator shall engage within thirty (30) calendar days an independent auditor to conduct the annual audit required by this paragraph. In making its selection, the Administrator shall not engage any independent auditor who has been involved in designing any of the accounting or reporting systems under review in the audit.

(d) The independent auditor selected by the Administrator to conduct the annual audit shall be instructed by the Administrator to develop a detailed audit program based on the final audit requirements and shall be instructed by the Administrator to submit the audit program to the Office of Managing Director. The Office of Managing Director shall review the audit program and make modifications, as needed, that shall be incorporated into the final audit program. During the course of the audit, the Office of Managing Director may direct the Administrator to direct the independent auditor to take any actions necessary to ensure compliance with the audit requirements.

(e) During the course of the audit, the Administrator shall instruct the independent auditor to:

(1) Inform the Office of Managing Director of any revisions to the final audit program or to the scope of the audit;

(2) Notify the Office of Managing Director of any meetings with the Administrator in which audit findings are discussed; and

(3) Submit to the Chief of the Wireline Competition Bureau any accounting or rule interpretations necessary to complete the audit.

(f) Within 105 calendar days after the end of the audit period, but prior to discussing the audit findings with the Administrator, the independent auditor shall be instructed by the Administrator to submit a draft of the audit report to the Office of Managing Director Audit Staff.

(g) The Office of Managing Director shall review the audit findings and audit workpapers and offer its recommendations concerning the conduct of the audit or the audit findings to the independent auditor. Exceptions of the Office of Managing Director to the findings and conclusions of the independent auditor that remain unresolved shall be included in the final audit report.

(h) Within fifteen (15) calendar days after receiving the Office of Managing Director's recommendations and making any revisions to the audit report, the Administrator shall instruct the independent auditor to submit the audit report to the Administrator for its response to the audit findings. At this time the auditor also must send copies of its audit findings to the Office of Managing Director. The Administrator shall provide the independent auditor time to perform additional audit work recommended by the Office of Managing Director.

(i) Within thirty (30) calendar days after receiving the audit report, the Administrator shall respond to the audit findings and send copies of its response to the Office of Managing Director. The Administrator shall instruct the independent auditor that any reply that the independent auditor wishes to make to the Administrator's responses shall be sent to the Office of Managing Director as well as the Administrator. The Administrator's response and the independent auditor's replies shall be included in the final audit report;

(j) Within ten (10) calendar days after receiving the response of the Administrator, the independent auditor shall file with the Commission the final audit report.

(k) Based on the final audit report, the Managing Director may take any action necessary to ensure that the universal service support mechanisms operate in a manner consistent with the requirements of this part, as well as such other action as is deemed necessary and in the public interest.

[67 FR 13227, Mar. 21, 2002, as amended at 68 FR 18907, Apr. 17, 2003; 71 FR 38267, July 6, 2006; 77 FR 71712, Dec. 4, 2012]