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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....

Court Pauses Bus Wi-Fi Case for FCC Review

The Fifth Circuit has paused the Bus Wi-Fi case, Molak v. FCC, to give the Commission time for an internal review of its prior decision. This move follows changes in...

Cybersecurity Pilot Program Comments Due August 1

On July 2, 2025, the FCC issued a correction to its public notice seeking comments on a revision of a currently approved information collection for the Schools and Libraries Cybersecurity...

USAC Revises E-rate Service Substitution Guide

On June 12, 2025, the Universal Service Administrative Company, USAC, released an updated guide on Service Substitutions for the E-rate Program. Service substitutions allow applicants to request modifications to products...