Overview
We speak from experience when we say that once USAC contacts you with an inquiry, it may already be too late.
Universal Service Administrative Company (“USAC”) evaluations can be overwhelming unless your company is prepared. During an audit, USAC will exhaustively evaluate your company’s compliance with a list of constantly changing accounting, jurisdictional, and revenue reporting rules–from FCC regulations to Form 499 instructions to USAC policies.
We can help your company develop policies and procedures that ensure you are continually prepared for an audit and can more quickly and successfully defend during an audit or review. We provide comprehensive legal services to assist telecommunications carriers and service providers minimize their risk from USAC audits and inaccurate USF contributions. We’ll help you optimize your product catalog for accurate fee collection, conduct internal audits to identify and mitigate potential issues, and guide you through Form 499 reporting requirements.
This is Not a Routine Financial Audit
If you have never faced a regulatory audit, you might be surprised to learn that regulatory audits proceed differently from financial or tax audits. Of course, regulatory auditors delve into financial statements. But they also analyze a company’s compliance with pertinent regulations.
Auditors put compliance practices under the microscope, searching for mistakes that even the most compliance-conscious companies make. As a result, few businesses leave an audit unscathed.
Guided by our experience, we have developed a tested, client-centric approach to regulatory audit defense based on the following principles:
- Client Focused. We manage all aspects of the audit defense process for our clients. We work with our clients to identify their goals for the audit process, and work to meet those goals.
- Detail Oriented. We work closely with our clients and with the auditors throughout the audit process, always with attention to detail. We work with our clients to meet key deadlines and accurately respond to auditor questions. We also perform careful regulatory analyses to anticipate audit issues, and remedy any compliance concerns.
- Compliance as Opportunity. We know that there are only two categories of communications companies – those who have been audited, and those who will be audited. We work with companies who have been audited to exit the audit with a strong compliance framework that the company can use to its advantage. Once a company has been audited, it can take advantage of regulatory certainty to build a robust compliance program. We work with companies to use compliance as a competitive advantage in the marketplace, helping companies achieve their business goals.
Full Spectrum Services
- Ensuring accurate tax engine data and reporting with our tax engine integration service and product catalog optimization process;
- Identifying and mitigating potential USAC audit risks proactively through internal audits;
- Audit defense & appeals strategy, including detailed analysis of possible audit results before and during an audit, advising on responses to USAC questions and conclusions, challenging USAC conclusions at odds with established precedent, and appealing USAC decisions to the USAC Board, Wireline Competition Bureau, and the FCC;
- Meeting filing deadlines with annual and quarterly reports offered by our affiliated firm, The Commpliance Group;
- Potential reductions in federal USF contributions, resulting in increased net income and/or reduced customer billings;
- Enhanced awareness of regulatory changes and related business implications and risks;
- Enhanced preparation for compliance audits from regulatory agencies and third parties with minimal disruption to regular operations;
- Automation of regulatory processes with appropriate controls, enabling continuous monitoring of regulatory compliance and timely reporting.
