E-Rate for FY 2025:
Wave 11 of funding commitment decision letters for FY 2025 was released on Thursday, July 3rd, for $48.3 million. Total funding is now $1.42 billion. Currently, USAC has funded 73.4% of submitted applications, representing 44.3% of the dollars requested.
Cybersecurity Pilot Program – Application Window:
The Form 471 application window for the Cybersecurity Pilot Program opened on March 18th and will close on September 15th, 2025. Total pilot funding is capped at $200 million for 690 applicants.
Last Tuesday, July 1st, was the deadline set by the FCC to permit Pilot participants to voluntarily withdraw from the program without incurring any liability. Based on our count, as of the end of last week, seventeen previously approved participants had notified the FCC that they were withdrawing. It would free up just over $8 million in previously allocated funding. It is more than enough additional funding to bring the twenty-six partially funded Pilot applicants up to the full budget level (currently a shortfall of $3.8 million). It also gives the FCC the option, should they choose, to modestly add funding for new or existing program participants.