Open Data
Below are several open data resources for the Emergency Connectivity Fund Program containing information about funding applications submitted in the initial application filing window. Open Data tools help USAC offer a consistent, user-friendly experience for everyone who explores or uses Emergency Connectivity Fund Program data and other programs administered by USAC.
New! ECF Invoice Deadline Tool
On June 9, 2023, USAC launched the new ECF Invoice Deadline Tool, an Open Data tool that provides ECF Program data for the invoice deadline dates and funds remaining on approved funding requests (FRNs).
Emergency Connectivity Fund Program Data Tool
The ECF Program Open Data Tool provides user-friendly filters to search, view, and download Emergency Connectivity Fund Program data. The tool’s underlying dataset provides a single record for each funding request number (FRN) so users can get the latest funding status, commitment amount, and disbursement data. Here is the link to the data set for the tool. Please note that this data set is a subset for the full FCC Form 471 data set. A training video is also available for the tool.
Note: “FRN Total Charges” uses two different data sources, depending on whether the FRN is pending or decided. For pending FRNs, it is equal to the FRN requested amount. For funded, cancelled, or denied FRNs, it is equal to the current FRN amount after modifications, if any, were made during the review process. If you wish to compare the requested amount with the current amount for a committed FRN, please use the “Emergency Connectivity Fund FCC Form 471” dataset, which has separate rows for the requested and current FRN amounts.
Emergency Connectivity Fund Program Data
Using the Emergency Connectivity Fund (ECF) FCC Form 471 dataset, users can view:
- Applicant details, including applicant type, Billed Entity Number (BEN), student count, and dollars requested and committed.
- Data from each Funding Request Number (FRN), including service provider and contract information (if available), Funding Commitment Decision Letter (FCDL)-related data, and invoicing method
- Data from each FRN line item ID, including individual product/service data, costs, quantities, and descriptions.
Note: Emergency Connectivity Fund Program demand is based on the total requested support amounts submitted by applicants. Committed support amounts may vary from the requested support amounts due to removal of ineligible services and equipment, reasonable support caps for connected devices and Wi-Fi hotspots for individual users, or other adjustments made during the application review process.
A data glossary is available for detailed definitions of each field in the data set and tool.
How to Use the ECF FCC Form 471 Dataset
Use the dataset to answer questions about the applicant entity, services or equipment requested, quantity of the services or equipment requested, which service provider is supplying the service or equipment, the invoicing method used, the length of the contract (if available), and fiber type information, if applicable. All information within the ECF FCC Form 471 dataset is self-reported by applicants.
The landing page for each Open Data dataset includes a Featured Content section with helpful links to specific information, an About this Dataset with general information, and a Columns in this Dataset with a list of the columns (fields) in the dataset and a short description of each. You can also find a data glossary if one is available, either under Featured Content or About this Dataset. (You may have to click the “Show More” link at the bottom of the section to view related attachments.)
How is the ECF FCC Form 471 data organized?
This dataset has 82 fields (columns), and each record (row) in the dataset corresponds to an FRN line item ID. Each ECF FCC Form 471 application may have multiple funding requests (FRNs), and each FRN may have multiple FRN line item IDs. For each record, the “Form Version” field indicates whether the form version of the application is “original” (the view of the form originally submitted by the applicant upon certification) or “current” (the view of the form processed by USAC).
The 82 fields in the dataset are ordered based on whether they are at the application level, the FRN level, or the FRN line item ID level.
- The first 40 fields starting from “Application Number” are at the application level. The values for these fields will be repeated for each FRN line item ID within a funding request and for each FRN within an application. These values may also vary between its “Form Version” records (“original” vs. “current”).
- The next 24 fields starting from “Funding Request Number (FRN)” are at the FRN level. The values for these fields will be repeated for each FRN line item ID within a funding request. These values may also vary between its “Form Version” records (“original” vs. “current”).
- The last 18 fields starting from “FRN Line Item ID” are at the FRN line item ID level. These values may vary between its “Form Version” records (“original” vs. “current”).
What additional information is in the ECF FCC Form 471 data glossary?
The data glossary contains additional information on the data in the dataset: the Field Name, the Field Description, and the Field Completeness.
- The Field Name is the name assigned to the field in the dataset. This may not be the same name as the related field that appears on the invoice form or the source of the related data.
- The Field Description is a detailed description of the information in the field. This will contain more information than the short description in the Columns in this Dataset section of the landing page.
- Field Completeness indicates how often there is a value in the field, expressed as a percentage. Data may be missing because an entry in the field is not required or the field is not applicable.
Data glossaries are saved in a PDF format so that you can print or save them for reference.
What additional dataset features are available in Open Data?
You can search for your ECF application number, a BEN, or any other information in the “Find in this Dataset” box to quickly filter the dataset and find relevant information. You can also download your information using the “Export” option and save a copy of your information.
You can also create your own account in Open Data by going to USAC’s Open Data website and following the instructions for signing up. Once you’ve created an account, you can create and save your own views and report that will automatically update each time new data is available. To learn how to create customer reports and views, read these two articles: Creating a Filtered View and Sort, Grouping, and Rolling up data. You can also find helpful training videos on the Open Data Video Guides web page.
ECF FCC Form 471 Data for Demand and Commitment Data
We have also used the ECF FCC Form 471 dataset to create these simple, downloadable data sources on demand and commitment data for you.
(1) View the Emergency Connectivity Fund Program Demand by Congressional District, Applicant, and Window.
(2) For Emergency Connectivity Fund Program funding commitments by congressional district, please visit: https://www.fcc.gov/emergency-connectivity-fund
(3) View the interactive map of Emergency Connectivity Fund Program Demand by State.
Note: Emergency Connectivity Fund Program demand is based on the total requested support amounts submitted by applicants.
Invoicing Decision Dataset
The attached data gives applicants and service providers visibility into the status of requests for reimbursement from the ECF program. The data includes information such as whether the request for reimbursement was approved, partially approved, or denied and the amount approved for disbursement. For further information regarding why a particular request was partially approved or denied, the requestor may refer to the Communications Tab of the request for reimbursement form in the ECF Portal. Applicants and service providers should use this data for informational purposes.
Data was last updated April 19, 2024.
Questions?
Click the “Contact Dataset Owner” to get help with general questions about the ECF FCC Form 471 dataset, ask about the information available in the dataset, or provide feedback.
If you have questions about the Emergency Connectivity Fund Program or specific applications that you submitted, you can open a customer service case in the ECF Portal or call the Emergency Connectivity Fund Customer Support Center (CSC) at (800) 234-9781, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET.
