Document Retention
RHC program rules require applicants and service providers to retain documentation sufficient to verify compliance with all FCC rules for a period of five years after the end of the funding year for which support was provided. Service providers are also required to retain documentation related to the delivery of discounted services for five years after the last day of delivery of discounted services, as well as any other documents that demonstrate compliance with the statutory or regulatory requirements for the RHC program.
Document Submission
Missing documentation may delay the processing of FCC forms. Please keep in mind that USAC cannot commit funding until the reviewer receives a complete FCC Form 462 or FCC Form 466 and all required supporting documentation. For more information on what documentation must be submitted to determine a complete FCC Form, please see Step 4 of the HCF and Telecom Program pages.
Document Retention
The following are examples of the types of documents that HCPs and service providers should retain, to help USAC evaluate whether an HCP and/or its selected service provider complied with FCC rules in the event the HCP and/or service provider is audited.
Proof of Eligibility
- Business license,
- Internal Revenue Service (IRS) not-for-profit determination letter, or
- IRS Form 990
Competitive Bidding and Vendor Selection (Applicants Only)
- Copies of all bids received in response to the applicant’s request for services
- Documentation concerning the applicant’s service provider selection criteria and bid evaluation analysis, including documentation showing that the applicant considered all bids submitted and selected the most cost-effective option.
- Documentation of communications with all service providers, both bidding and potentially bidding during the competitive bid process
Funding Request Forms
- Copy of the contract for the supported services, if applicable (Note: Applicants seeking to have USAC review the contract (for the services for which they request funding) for “evergreen” status, must submit that contract with their funding request. Funding requests that do not have a contract or whose contract was deemed “non-evergreen” are not eligible for the evergreen competitive bidding exemption.)
- Documentation demonstrating the method used to calculate the rural rate was properly calculated (Telecom Program only)
- Documentation demonstrating the method used to properly calculate the urban rate, if an urban rate posted on USAC’s website was not used (Telecom Program only)
- Documentation to support the cost of the requested service (e.g. invoices)
Other
- All forms and documentation submitted to USAC
- A copy of the Funding Commitment Letter (FCL)
- A copy of the HCP Support Schedule (HSS) issued by USAC (Telecom Program only)
- Documentation demonstrating that the applicant received the required reimbursements/credits for the supported services from the service provider
- Documentation demonstrating that the applicant paid the service provider the applicable share of the costs (i.e., urban rate equivalent or 35% contribution) for the services received
- Documentation demonstrating that ineligible entities participating in the network have paid a fair share of the costs for the services received.
The material on these webpages is provided for general information only and should not be relied upon or used as the sole basis for making decisions without consulting the RHC program rules, orders, and other primary sources of information. Applicants and service providers are ultimately responsible for knowing and complying with all RHC program rules and procedures.