USAC Files Second Quarter 2021 USF Contribution Base Data: $9.9 Billion
March 2, 2021 – The Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) has filed data detailing the universal service fund (USF) contribution base to be used for the second quarter of calendar year 2021.[1]
The data shows the total collected interstate and international end-user revenue amount that will be used to determine the contribution factor for all universal service support mechanisms.
USAC has determined that the projected collected end-user revenue base for 2Q of 2021 is $9,905,669,690. This is a smaller USF contribution base than last quarter, which will cause the next USF contribution factor to rise to a higher, record-breaking level.
To provide a comparison, the USF contribution base for the past five quarters are as follows:
First Quarter 2021: $10,068,712,553
Fourth Quarter 2020: $10,428,377,862
Third Quarter 2020: $10,219,123,520
Second Quarter 2020: $10,865,131,593
First Quarter 2020: $11,129,976,956
USAC’s estimated revenue base for the second quarter of 2021 was derived from projected collected revenue for April to June 2021 reported by telecommunications service providers using FCC Form 499-Q submitted in February 2021 – 4,621 reporting carriers, of which 3,245 are USF contributors and 1,376 are non-contributing de minimis carriers. As of February 17, 2021, USAC has yet to receive information from 184 non-de minimis telecommunications service providers that had previously submitted information to USAC.
Upon Federal Communications Commission approval of the total USF contribution base, the quarterly funding requirements for the four USF support mechanisms, and projected administrative costs, the FCC will establish a quarterly USF contribution factor. USAC will then bill USF contributors on a monthly basis for their individual obligations based on the approved contribution factor.
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[1] Universal Service Administrative Company, Federal Universal Service Support Mechanisms, Quarterly Contribution Base For The Second Quarter 2021 (Mar. 2, 2021), https://www.usac.org/wp-content/uploads/about/documents/fcc-filings/2021/second-quarter/financials/USAC-2Q2021-Universal-Service-Contribution-Base-Filing.pdf.
