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July Appeal Decisions Released by FCC

On August 1, 2025, the FCC issued its monthly Public Notice deciding a number of requests for review, requests for waiver, and petitions for reconsideration related to actions taken by...

by John Harrington

Nearly Half of E-rate Funding Uncommitted as Schools Approach New Academic Year

49% of FY2025 E-rate dollars still await decisions as of July 30 As schools across the nation prepare for the start of the 2025–26 academic year, an alarming amount of...

by John Harrington

Leadership Insight: Scaling Systems is Easy. Scaling Trust is the Real Work.

Recently, I’ve been deep in strategic planning: launching platforms, refining outreach, preparing for policy windows, and guiding leadership transitions. On paper, it’s the kind of work that looks like systems...

Don’t Let Your E-rate Melt: Mid Summer Checkpoint

School’s almost back, the popsicles are half‑melted, and USAC is still cranking out decisions. Here’s what you can do right now—before the back-to-school scramble kicks in. “Did I get funded?”...

by John Harrington

Connection Before Content: The Leadership Lesson We Can’t Afford to Miss

“Connection before content.” It’s one of those phrases that sounds simple, but carries a surprising amount of weight. I’ve found that living by it — not just agreeing with it...

E-MPA Opens FY2025 Funding Year with Policy Insights and Integrity Focus

The E‑rate Managers Professional Association (E-MPA) began Funding Year 2025 with its July membership meeting, bringing more than 100 consultants together for updates on federal policy and program integrity. The session...

FY 2026 Competitive Bidding Has Begun — 3 Smart Moves to File Form 470 with Confidence

The FY 2026 FCC Form 470 portal is already live in EPC, giving schools and libraries a full year-plus to run competitive bidding before next spring’s application window. An...

by John Harrington

What’s a Leader to Do?

This past week, everything seemed to go sideways. My email account locked me out. There were banking issues that took hours to untangle. Messages weren’t going through. Phone calls dropped....