Latest News: E-Rate

If you haven’t started the 470/RFP competitive bidding process, make sure the following steps are in place. Wednesday, March 4, 2026, is the deadline to post your FCC Form 470 to the USAC website, or issue an RFP, and still complete all of these actions before the Form 471 Application Filing Window closes. Clarify your needs Decide on using an RFP Maintain compliant, open bidding Add

On December 19, 2025, the FCC released the order and denied Brooklyn Public Library’s two Applications for Review and affirms full recovery of its FY 2014 E-Rate funding after finding that the library failed to follow its own bid evaluation process and did not select the most cost-effective bid. The FCC determined that this error constituted a substantive competitive bidding violation—not a waivable clerical

On December 17, 2025, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) released the Funding Year (FY) 2026 E‑Rate Eligible Services List (ESL), outlining the products and services eligible for E‑Rate discounts in the upcoming funding cycle. The FY2026 ESL remains consistent with prior years, continuing the program’s focus on high‑speed connectivity and modern network infrastructure. Category One Services — Broadband internet access, data transmission, and leased lit and

E‑Rate Program Updates – December 2025 Highlights As we approach the start of the FY2026 application cycle, several important updates from USAC and the FCC will impact applicants and service providers. Below is a summary of key announcements from the December 18, 2025, E‑Rate News Brief. Update Your EPC Profile During the EPC Administrative Window before January 16, 2026. The EPC Administrative Window closes January 16, 2026.

On December 17, 2025, the FCC issued the first Funding Commitment Decision Letters (FCDLs) under the Schools and Libraries Cybersecurity Pilot Program, committing $18.8 million to 140 applicants across 222 Funding Request Numbers (FRNs), representing approximately 9.4% of the total pilot budget. On December 18, 2025, USAC released the Cybersecurity Pilot FCC Form 471 open data. This publicly available dataset includes participant information; requested