In the three weeks since the close of the FY2020 filing,16,541 applicants have received E-rate funding decisions totaling $766.2 million. This represents 77% of applicants and 26% of the funds requested. This is the fastest that these many applicants and this much funding has ever been awarded under the E-rate program. The chart below compares the results of the first three funding waves for the past ten years.
This marks the fourth year in a row of significant improvement to the E-rate funding commitment process. Funding year 2016 was marred by issues with the implementation of the EPC system. Since then, there has been a steady increase in the speed of funding decisions, the number of applicants awarded, and the amount of funds committed.
16,541 applicants receiving $766.2 million within three weeks is remarkable. To put this in context, consider this: the FCC’s COVID-19 Telehealth program started processing applications on April 13, 2020, two weeks prior to the close of the E-rate filing window. To-date, it has processed only 132 applicants with awards totaling $50.1 million.
