If Category One is about access, Category Two is about experience.
As the 2026 filing window unfolds, one trend is increasingly clear: Wi-Fi refresh cycles are tightening. Not because districts are chasing the latest hardware, but because device density, instructional dependence, and security demands make aging infrastructure harder to tolerate.
What the 2025 Data Shows
The 2025 E-rate Trends Report shows sustained demand for Category Two funding across districts and libraries. While C2 operates on a five-year budget cycle, applicant behavior suggests that refresh timelines are compressing within that window.
Most respondents describe Wi-Fi as extremely important to fulfilling their mission. A significant portion anticipate upgrades within one to three years. This is not speculative planning. It reflects operational reality.
One-to-one device programs are now standard in many districts. Library device use remains steady. Networks that were expanded rapidly during and after COVID are now moving from expansion to maintenance and modernization.
From the Data
Nearly all applicants describe Wi-Fi as essential to their mission, and most anticipate upgrades within the next three years. Category Two demand reflects ongoing infrastructure maintenance, not episodic expansion.
Why This Matters for Applicants
Category Two decisions are often shaped by timing. The five-year budget cycle can create a false sense that infrastructure work can wait.
The data suggests otherwise.
Access points age. Standards evolve. Security requirements increase. A network that technically functions may still struggle under modern load conditions, particularly in high-density environments.
Applicants appear to be planning with that in mind. Rather than treating C2 as a once-per-cycle event, many are building structured refresh plans that spread upgrades across multiple years.
Planning in a Mature One-to-One Environment
There is an important distinction between expansion and sustainment.
During the pandemic years, networks absorbed a surge of devices. That surge required immediate scaling. In 2026, most districts are no longer adding devices at the same pace. One-to-one does not typically become two-to-one.
But sustainment carries its own demands. Device counts may stabilize, yet bandwidth consumption per device continues to grow. Security expectations rise. Instructional platforms rely more heavily on persistent connectivity.
Category Two planning in 2026 reflects this maturity. The conversation is less about catching up and more about keeping up.
The full 2025 E-rate Trends Report explores how applicants are using Category Two funding to maintain resilient, modern internal networks as expectations continue to increase.
