E-Rate for FY 2026 – Application Window:

Application Window: The Form 471 application window for FY 2026 opened Wednesday, January 21st, and will close on Wednesday, April 1st, at 11:59 p.m. EDT.  The administrative window, which gave applicants the opportunity to update their EPC entity profiles, closed January 16th.  Any subsequent entity changes during the window period will have to be made as a RAL correction or updated during application review.

E-Rate for FY 2025:

USAC issued Wave 41 for FY 2025 on Thursday, February 12th, for $6.97 million. Total funding for FY 2025 is now $2.56 billion.  Currently, USAC has funded 95.1% of submitted applications, representing 86.9% of the dollars requested.

Cybersecurity Pilot Program:

USAC has indicated that it expects to issue Cyber funding waves monthly with the next wave expected in March.  Current Cyber funding, after two waves, is $28.8 million.

Upcoming Dates:

SAM.gov and UEI Invoicing Required as of August 2026:

USAC has a new notice on its website entitled SAM.gov UEI Requirement.  The page indicates that, beginning this coming August, USAC will be using the System for Award Management (“SAM.gov”) banking information when remitting BEAR payments on E-Rate (and Cyber Pilot) invoices.  Although many applicants have already done so, all applicants should check their Form 498s in their EPC profiles to ensure that their UEI numbers are displayed and that they are connected to the proper bank accounts.  For SPI invoicing, service providers will also require UEI numbers.

“UEI,” a “Unique Entity Identifier,” is a 12-character alphanumeric code used to identify entities that do business with the federal government, including USAC.  UEI numbers, which replaced DUNS numbers in 2022, are assigned when entities first register with SAM.gov.  Although SAM.gov registrations themselves must be renewed at least annually, UEI numbers, once assigned, remain in effect.  (Note: While federal systems have transitioned to the UEI, certain legacy FCC/USAC forms, including the FCC Form 498, continue to require a DUNS number.)

USAC’s notice indicates that it “will contact service providers and E-Rate BEAR applicants by email to ensure they have an active UEI listed on their FCC Form 498 and that the UEI is connected to a bank account.”

Federal Funding for Libraries Retained for FY 2026:

Federal funding for libraries has been under a cloud for almost a year due to an executive order issued last March to shut down the Institute of Museum and Library Services (“IMLS”).  That order has been stayed by a federal court under a suit filed by 21 state attorney generals last May but is currently under appeal by the administration.  The administration had proposed only enough funding in FY 2026 to finance the IMLS shutdown.

The good news for libraries in the FY 2026 appropriations bill signed by the President earlier this month is that it actually includes a small increase ($1.4 million) in federal funding for libraries.  Under the federal Library Services and Technology Act (“LSTA”), funding this year will be $212.5 million.  An additional $30 million will be available for the school library-focused Innovative Approaches to Literacy (“IAL”) program under the U.S. Department of Education.

IMLS administers LSTA funding.  Although the funding is not large, libraries nationwide leverage it to support early and adult literacy programs, to provide access to a range of digital resources, and to enhance the professional training of library staff (see, for example).