§  54.320   Compliance and recordkeeping for the high-cost program.

   (a) Eligible telecommunications carriers authorized to receive
   universal service high-cost support are subject to random compliance
   audits and other investigations to ensure compliance with program rules
   and orders.

   (b) All eligible telecommunications carriers shall retain all records
   required to demonstrate to auditors that the support received was
   consistent with the universal service high-cost program rules. This
   documentation must be maintained for at least ten years from the
   receipt of funding. All such documents shall be made available upon
   request to the Commission and any of its Bureaus or Offices, the
   Administrator, and their respective auditors.

   (c) Eligible telecommunications carriers authorized to receive
   high-cost support that fail to comply with public interest obligations
   or any other terms and conditions may be subject to further action,
   including the Commission's existing enforcement procedures and
   penalties, reductions in support amounts, potential revocation of ETC
   designation, and suspension or debarment pursuant to § 54.8.

   (d) Eligible telecommunications carriers subject to defined build-out
   milestones must notify the Commission and USAC, and the relevant state,
   U.S. Territory, or Tribal government, if applicable, within 10 business
   days after the applicable deadline if they have failed to meet a
   build-out milestone.

   (1) Interim build-out milestones. Upon notification that an eligible
   telecommunications carrier has defaulted on an interim build-out
   milestone after it has begun receiving high-cost support, the Wireline
   Competition Bureau--or Wireless Telecommunications Bureau in the case
   of mobile carrier participants--will issue a letter evidencing the
   default. For purposes of determining whether a default has occurred, a
   carrier must be offering service meeting the requisite performance
   obligations. The issuance of this letter shall initiate reporting
   obligations and withholding of a percentage of the eligible
   telecommunication carrier's total monthly high-cost support, if
   applicable, starting the month following the issuance of the letter:

   (i) Tier 1. If an eligible telecommunications carrier has a compliance
   gap of at least five percent but less than 15 percent of the number of
   locations that the eligible telecommunications carrier is required to
   have built out to or, in the case of Alaska Plan mobile-carrier
   participants, population covered by the specified technology, middle
   mile, and speed of service in the carrier's approved performance plan,
   by the interim milestone, the Wireline Competition Bureau or Wireless
   Telecommunications Bureau, will issue a letter to that effect. Starting
   three months after the issuance of this letter, the eligible
   telecommunications carrier will be required to file a report every
   three months identifying the geocoded locations to which the eligible
   telecommunications carrier has newly deployed facilities capable of
   delivering broadband meeting the requisite requirements with Connect
   America support in the previous quarter, or, in the case of Alaska Plan
   mobile-carrier participants, the populations to which the competitive
   eligible telecommunications carrier has extended or upgraded service
   meeting their approved performance plan and obligations. Eligible
   telecommunications carriers that do not file these quarterly reports on
   time will be subject to support reductions as specified in § 54.313(j).
   The eligible telecommunications carrier must continue to file quarterly
   reports until the eligible telecommunications carrier reports that it
   has reduced the compliance gap to less than five percent of the
   required number of locations (or population, if applicable) for that
   interim milestone and the Wireline Competition Bureau or Wireless
   Telecommunications Bureau issues a letter to that effect.

   (ii) Tier 2. If an eligible telecommunications carrier has a compliance
   gap of at least 15 percent but less than 25 percent of the number of
   locations that the eligible telecommunications carrier is required to
   have built out to or, in the case of Alaska Plan mobile-carrier
   participants, population covered by the specified technology, middle
   mile, and speed of service in the carrier's approved performance plan,
   by the interim milestone, USAC will withhold 15 percent of the eligible
   telecommunications carrier's monthly support for that support area and
   the eligible telecommunications carrier will be required to file
   quarterly reports. Once the eligible telecommunications carrier has
   reported that it has reduced the compliance gap to less than 15 percent
   of the required number of locations (or population, if applicable) for
   that interim milestone for that support area, the Wireline Competition
   Bureau or Wireless Telecommunications Bureau will issue a letter to
   that effect, USAC will stop withholding support, and the eligible
   telecommunications carrier will receive all of the support that had
   been withheld. The eligible telecommunications carrier will then move
   to Tier 1 status.

   (iii) Tier 3. If an eligible telecommunications carrier has a
   compliance gap of at least 25 percent but less than 50 percent of the
   number of locations that the eligible telecommunications carrier is
   required to have built out to by the interim milestone, or, in the case
   of Alaska Plan mobile-carrier participants, population covered by the
   specified technology, middle mile, and speed of service in the
   carrier's approved performance plan, USAC will withhold 25 percent of
   the eligible telecommunications carrier's monthly support for that
   support area and the eligible telecommunications carrier will be
   required to file quarterly reports. Once the eligible
   telecommunications carrier has reported that it has reduced the
   compliance gap to less than 25 percent of the required number of
   locations (or population, if applicable) for that interim milestone for
   that support area, the Wireline Competition Bureau or Wireless
   Telecommunications Bureau will issue a letter to that effect, the
   eligible telecommunications carrier will move to Tier 2 status.

   (iv) Tier 4. If an eligible telecommunications carrier has a compliance
   gap of 50 percent or more of the number of locations that the eligible
   telecommunications carrier is required to have built out to or, in the
   case of Alaska Plan mobile-carrier participants, population covered by
   the specified technology, middle mile, and speed of service in the
   carrier's approved performance plan, by the interim milestone:

   (A) USAC will withhold 50 percent of the eligible telecommunications
   carrier's monthly support for that support area, and the eligible
   telecommunications carrier will be required to file quarterly
   reports.As with the other tiers, as the eligible telecommunications
   carrier reports that it has lessened the extent of its non-compliance,
   and the Wireline Competition Bureau or Wireless Telecommunications
   Bureau issues a letter to that effect, it will move down the tiers
   until it reaches Tier 1 (or no longer is out of compliance with the
   relevant interim milestone).

   (B) If after having 50 percent of its support withheld for six months
   the eligible telecommunications carrier has not reported that it is
   eligible for Tier 3 status (or one of the other lower tiers), USAC will
   withhold 100 percent of the eligible telecommunications carrier's
   monthly support and will commence a recovery action for a percentage of
   support that is equal to the eligible telecommunications carrier's
   compliance gap plus 10 percent of the ETC's support that has been
   disbursed to that date.

   (v) If at any point during the support term, the eligible
   telecommunications carrier reports that it is eligible for Tier 1
   status, it will have its support fully restored, USAC will repay any
   funds that were recovered or withheld, and it will move to Tier 1
   status.

   (2) Final milestone. Upon notification that the eligible
   telecommunications carrier has not met a final milestone, the eligible
   telecommunications carrier will have twelve months from the date of the
   final milestone deadline to come into full compliance with this
   milestone. If the eligible telecommunications carrier does not report
   that it has come into full compliance with this milestone within twelve
   months, the Wireline Competition Bureau--or Wireless Telecommunications
   Bureau in the case of mobile carrier participants--will issue a letter
   to this effect. In the case of Alaska Plan mobile carrier participants,
   USAC will then recover the percentage of support that is equal to 1.89
   times the average amount of support per location received by that
   carrier over the support term for the relevant percentage of
   population. For other recipients of high-cost support, USAC will then
   recover the percentage of support that is equal to 1.89 times the
   average amount of support per location received in the support area for
   that carrier over the term of support for the relevant number of
   locations plus 10 percent of the eligible telecommunications carrier's
   total relevant high-cost support over the support term for that support
   area. Where a recipient is unable to demonstrate compliance with a
   final performance testing milestone, USAC will recover the percentage
   of support that is equal to 1.89 times the average amount of support
   per location received in the support area for the relevant number of
   locations for that carrier plus 10 percent of the eligible
   telecommunications carrier's total relevant high cost-support over the
   support term for that support area, the total of which will then be
   multiplied by the percentage of time since the carrier was last able to
   demonstrate compliance based on performance testing, on a quarterly
   basis. In the event that a recipient fails to meet a final milestone
   both for build-out and performance compliance, USAC will recover the
   total of the percentage of support that is equal to 1.89 times the
   average amount of support per location received by that carrier over
   the support term for the relevant number of locations to which the
   carrier failed to build out; the percentage of support that is equal to
   1.89 times the average amount of support per location received in the
   support area for the relevant number of locations for that carrier
   multiplied by the percentage of time since the carrier was last able to
   demonstrate compliance based on performance testing; and 10 percent of
   the eligible telecommunications carrier's total relevant high-cost
   support over the support term for that support area.

   (3) Compliance reviews. If subsequent to the eligible
   telecommunications carrier's support term, USAC determines in the
   course of a compliance review that the eligible telecommunications
   carrier does not have sufficient evidence to demonstrate that it is
   offering service to all of the locations required by the final
   milestone or, in the case of Alaska Plan participants, did not provide
   service consistent with the carrier's approved performance plan, USAC
   shall recover a percentage of support from the eligible
   telecommunications carrier as specified in paragraph (d)(2) of this
   section.

   [ 76 FR 73876 , Nov. 29, 2011, as amended at  80 FR 4478 , Jan. 27, 2015;
    81 FR 69714 , Oct. 7, 2016;  84 FR 67235 , Dec. 9, 2019]