On its own motion, the FCC’s Wireline Competition Bureau (Bureau) has extended the filing deadline for Section 54.314 certifications from October 1 to November 17, 2017. Certifications are required on behalf of all eligible telecommunications carriers (ETCs) by the state commissions or ETCs themselves certifying that high-cost support was used only for the provision, maintenance, and upgrading of facilities and services for which the support is intended. The Bureau explains that states only recently were able to access Connect America Fund (CAF) geospatial information through the recently-implemented High Cost Universal Broadband (HUBB) portal in July 2017, and that a limited waiver would serve the public interest by providing sufficient time to review the HUBB data before submitting the required certifications. The extension applies both to states and to ETCs lacking state jurisdiction who must self-certify.
