As we move through the 2026 E-rate filing window, one thing remains consistent: E-rate continues to be a cornerstone of connectivity for schools and libraries. Even amid broader uncertainty—economic, political, and technological—the program is still doing what it was designed to do: making high-speed connectivity affordable and achievable.
What has changed is the environment around it. Networks are carrying more traffic, supporting more devices, and facing more threats than they did even a few years ago. Expectations for reliability are higher, and the consequences of downtime are more immediate. As a result, the definition of what it means to be “connected” continues to expand.
What the 2025 Data Shows
The 2025 E-rate Trends Report reinforces a pattern we have now seen consistently for a decade. Applicants overwhelmingly describe E-rate as vital to their mission and dependable from year to year.
At the same time, the data highlights growing pressure points. Demand for both Category One and Category Two services remains strong, while applicants increasingly point to needs that sit just beyond traditional eligibility boundaries. Network security, redundancy, and ongoing management surface repeatedly in both the data and applicant comments.
In practical terms, E-rate is working. But it is being asked to support networks that are more complex, more visible, and more essential than ever before.
Why This Matters for Applicants
For applicants filing in 2026, this context matters. The filing window is no longer just an annual compliance exercise or a repeat of last year’s decisions. It is a moment to reassess whether existing approaches still align with today’s operational realities.
Applicants are planning networks in an environment where:
- Even brief outages disrupt instruction and operations
- Security incidents carry financial, legal, and reputational consequences
- Connectivity must support daily instruction, testing, and administrative systems simultaneously
The Trends data suggests many applicants are already adapting. Some are prioritizing resiliency over lowest cost. Others are supplementing E-rate-funded infrastructure with local or state resources to address gaps E-rate does not yet cover. These decisions reflect practical judgment, not dissatisfaction.
Looking Ahead
One of the most notable signals in the 2025 data is clarity. Applicants are clear about what E-rate does well. They are also clear about where friction remains and how network needs are evolving.
As conversations about E-rate’s future continue, that clarity matters. Productive policy discussions are grounded in long-term data and lived experience, not short-term headlines. That is why Funds For Learning pairs conservative analysis with direct applicant feedback each year: to provide decision-makers with an accurate picture of both stability and strain within the program.
The full 2025 E-rate Trends Report places this year’s filing window in that broader context, drawing on ten years of consistent applicant input to document where E-rate stands today and the pressures shaping what comes next.
