Program Integrity

Appeals

USAC recognizes that some eligible telecommunications providers will disagree with decisions regarding Lifeline support. As is the case with any administrative decision, parties affected by decisions made by USAC on billing, collection, or disbursement matters can seek an appeal of those decisions from USAC, or directly with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The procedures for filing an appeal with USAC or the FCC are outlined below.

Any appeal must be filed within 60 days of the issuance of the decision from USAC. Pursuant to FCC rules, failure to meet this requirement will result in automatic dismissal of the appeal. See Section 54.719-54.725 of the FCC's rules for the details associated with filing an appeal.

Two Appeal Options

OPTION A - File an Appeal with USAC

Please follow these guidelines when submitting a letter of appeal to USAC. Write and mail your letter to:

Letter of Appeal
High Cost and Low Income
USAC
2000 L Street NW, Suite 200
Washington, DC 20036

Appeals also may be submitted to USAC by email. Email appeals should have "Lifeline Appeal" in the subject line and can be submitted in any commonly used word processing format. Appeals submitted by email will be considered filed on a business day if they are received at any time before 12:00 AM (midnight) ET.

Please provide necessary contact information. List the name, address, telephone number, fax number, and email address (if available) of the person who can most readily discuss the appeal with USAC. Identify the carrier name, Study Area Code, and the decision being appealed.

Explain the appeal to USAC. Please keep your letter brief and to the point. It must identify a problem and why it is being appealed. High Cost and Low Income (HCLI) support decisions are made by applying non-discriminatory program rules to information submitted by providers, so a letter simply stating, "We appeal the amount of support," provides no information that could lead to a different decision. Please review the information you submit and explain precisely what alternate decision you believe USAC should have reached using that information, within program rules. Please provide documentation to support your appeal.

OPTION B - File an Appeal Directly with the FCC

A telecommunications provider also may file an appeal directly with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) of a USAC decision or if the provider disagrees with the USAC's response to a letter of appeal.

The provider must file its appeal to the FCC within 60 days of the date of the USAC decision.

The FCC address to which a provider may direct its appeal is:

Federal Communications Commission
Office of the Secretary
445 12th Street, SW
Room TW-A325
Washington, DC 20554

Documents sent by Federal Express or any other express mail should use the following address:

Federal Communications Commission
Office of the Secretary
9300 East Hampton Drive
Capitol Heights, MD 20743
(8:00 AM - 5:30 PM ET)

For hand-delivered or messenger-delivered items use the following address:

Federal Communications Commission
Office of the Secretary
236 Massachusetts Avenue, NE, Suite 110
Washington, DC 20002
(8:00 AM - 7:00 PM ET)

For security purposes, hand-delivered or messenger-delivered documents will not be accepted if they are enclosed in an envelope. Any envelopes must be disposed of before entering the building. Hand deliveries must be held together with rubber bands or fasteners.

Appeals may also be submitted to the FCC electronically, either by the Electronic Comment Filing System (ECFS) or by fax. The FCC recommends filing with the ECFS to ensure timely filing. Instructions for using ECFS can be found on the ECFS page of the FCC website. Appeals to the FCC filed by fax must be faxed to (202) 418-0187. Electronic appeals will be considered filed on a business day if they are received at any time before 12:00 AM (midnight) ET. Fax transmissions will be considered filed on a business day if the complete transmission is received at any time before 12:00 AM.

Important note: Please be sure to reference CC Docket No. 96-45 on all communications with the FCC. The appeal transmission, whether electronic or paper, must also provide your company's name and study area code, plus necessary contact information including name, address, telephone number, fax number, and email address of the person filing the appeal. Unless the appeal is made electronically via ECFS, please include a copy of the USAC letter being appealed.