47 C.F.R. § 54.616
Upfront payments.
Cite as 47 C.F.R. § 54.616 (2026)
(a) Upfront payments include all non-recurring costs for services, equipment, or facilities, other than reasonable and customary installation charges of up to $5,000. (b) The following limitations apply to all upfront payments: (1) Upfront payments associated with services providing a bandwidth of less than 1.5 Mbps (symmetrical) are not eligible for support; and (2) Only consortium applicants are eligible for support for upfront payments. (c) The following limitations apply if a consortium makes a request for support for upfront payments that exceeds, on average, $50,000 per eligible site in the consortium: (1) The support for the upfront payments must be prorated over at least three years; and (2) The upfront payments must be part of a multi-year contract.