E-rate Commentary

Sean Lock, CEMP

FY2025 Ends June 30. FY2026 Starts July 1. Here’s How to Keep Your Funding Flowing.

If you manage E-rate for your school or library, the transition into July is one of the points where I see avoidable mistakes most often. Funding Year 2025 begins to wrap...

by Patrick Burke

Check Your Labels: How the EPC ‘Attribute Sub-Type’ Can Trigger a Review

Here’s something you don’t want to happen: you submit your E-rate application, then weeks later USAC comes back with a correction, not about the service you ordered, but about a...

by Sheauna Brown

UEI: What It Is and What You Need to Do Now

Why This Matters If the entity information in your E-rate records doesn’t match your federal registration, your funding commitments, invoices, and payments can stall. That mismatch usually traces back to one thing: your...

by Elizabeth Oglevie

Denied Funding Request? You May Have Options

A denial can feel like a major setback, but it may not mean the end of the road. What matters most now is what you do next, and how quickly....

John Harrington, CEMP

by John Harrington

The FCC Is Asking Big Questions About E-rate. Here’s How We Answer.

Last week, the FCC released a draft Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that asks some of the biggest questions the E-rate program has faced since it began. Should the program be...

by Heidi Leonard

Your Project Changed After Approval. Here’s What You Can Do Next.

If you’ve worked through an E-rate project from planning to implementation, you know one thing is almost guaranteed: something will change. Whether it’s discontinued equipment, shifting needs, or vendor updates, substitutions give applicants a...

Eric Jester, CEMP

The Correction Window You Might Not Know About: RAL Modifications During PIA Review

In FY 2025, 4,848 FRNs (18.4% of all FRNs that received any PIA action) were modified in response to a RAL modification request submitted by the applicant. (Source: E-rate Manager®.)...

by Heidi Leonard

Understanding NSLP Counts in E-rate: What to Expect During PIA Review

If USAC selects your application for Program Integrity Assurance (PIA) review, one of the first things they’ll ask about is your discount rate, and the documentation behind your National School Lunch Program (NSLP) numbers. Here’s what they want to see, and how to...