E-rate News

Home / News

Dirk Schroeder, CEMP

by Dirk Schroeder

September 8, 2026

Procure in FY2027, Breathe Easier in FY2028

Uncertainty Around the New Portal You may have heard the buzz about the new competitive bidding portal set to arrive in Funding Year 2028 (FY2028). If your organization is gearing up...

by Audra Thayer

September 8, 2026

Most Cybersecurity Pilot Money Is Committed. Most of It Has Not Been Paid Out Yet.

Of the $129.5 million committed under the Cybersecurity Pilot, about $38.6 million has reached applicants as of September 1, 2026, and 337 of the 570 funded applicants have not yet...

by Sheauna Brown

September 8, 2026

E-rate, Emergency Connectivity, and Cybersecurity: A District’s Decade of Federal Funding

For more than a decade, Cleveland Metropolitan School District has used E-rate and other federal funding programs to build, maintain, and strengthen the technology that supports its students and staff....

by Cathy Cruzan

September 3, 2026

Nearly Half of FY2026 E-rate Dollars Are Still Waiting on a Decision

Nearly half of the dollars requested for Funding Year 2026 are still waiting on a decision, the highest share in six years of data. Every fall, school and library leaders...

Verlyne Jolley, CEMP

by Verlyne Jolley

September 2, 2026

Three Lessons from This Month’s FCC Appeal Decisions (Before You File Your Next Form 470 or 471)

The FCC’s latest round of E-rate appeal decisions, released September 1 (DA 26-868), reinforces three lessons that apply no matter what funding year you’re in: put your full case in...

by Funds For Learning

September 2, 2026

USAC Moves to SAM.gov Banking September 8. Check Your Form 498 This Week.

On September 8, USAC will begin sending all Universal Service Fund payments to the bank account tied to your SAM.gov registration. If you invoice using the Billed Entity Applicant Reimbursement...

Brian Stephens, CEMP

by Brian Stephens

September 1, 2026

Want to Weigh In on USAC’s Oversight Review? Comments Are Due September 30.

If you’ve been following the FCC’s review of how USAC runs the Universal Service Fund, here’s the update: the official notice was published in the Federal Register on August 31,...

by Neal Brautigan

September 1, 2026

Keep Planning for FY2027. The Bidding Portal Isn’t Coming Until FY2028.

As discussion continues around the FCC’s competitive bidding portal for Funding Year 2028, many E-rate applicants are wondering whether anything will change for Funding Year 2027. The short answer is...