Upcoming E-Rate Dates:
| January 14 |
Form 486 deadline for FY 2018 funding committed in Wave 23. More generally, the Form 486 deadline is 120 days from the FCDL date or the service start date (typically July 1st), whichever is later. Other upcoming Form 486 deadlines are:
Wave 24 01/22/2019
Wave 25 01/28/2019
Wave 26 02/04/2019
Wave 27 02/11/2019
Note: Applicants missing any Form 486 deadline should watch carefully for “Form 486 Urgent Reminder Letters” in their EPC News Feed. These Reminder Letters afford applicants 15-day extensions to submit their Form 486s without penalty.
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| January 15 |
Close of the administrative window which permits applicants to update their EPC entity profiles. |
| January 16 |
Opening of the FY 2019 Form 471 application window. |
| January 28 |
Invoice deadline — or deadline for requesting a 120-day extension — for FY 2017 non-recurring services. |
| February 26 |
Extended invoice deadline for FY 2017 recurring services. |
| March 27 |
Close of the FY 2019 Form 471 application window. |
CoSN Reports Gains in Wi-Fi and Broadband Connectivity:
The Consortium for School Networking (“CoSN”) issued its 2018 Annual Infrastructure Report indicating that most school districts (92%) are meeting the FCC’s short-term goal on broadband connectivity to provide 100 Mbps per 1,000 students. Further, more than a third (36%) of the districts are meeting the longer-term goal of providing 1 Gbps per 1,000 students — more than double the level from last year. That’s all great news and a good indication of E-rate’s impact.
The report also focuses on the infrastructure challenges remaining including:
- Lack of affordable broadband access in rural areas
- Limited student access to non-shared Internet devices at home — the “homework gap”
- Growing costs of cybersecurity
New CORES System for FCC RNs:
Anyone doing business with the FCC, including E-rate applicants and service providers, must obtain an FCC Registration Number (“FCC RN”) through the FCC’s COmmission REgistration System (“CORES”). The current online version of the CORES system, to be retired on March 1st, is being replaced by a newer version (already available). The function of the two versions is similar, but the look, feel, and web addresses will be different. Specifically:
Current CORES Version:
Updated CORES Version:
Requesting an FCC RN is a straight-forward process that can be accomplished without contacting the FCC. New E-rate applicants needing help in obtaining an FCC RN — a requirement for filing a Form 471 — can use the special helpline number (877-480-3201) but should recognize that this number will not likely be staffed during the government shutdown.
No One Eats Alone:
It may be a stretch to tie this to E-rate, except perhaps through the National School Lunch Program, but it seems remiss not to mention the upcoming “No One Eats Alone Day” scheduled for February 15th. No One Eats Alone is one of three national programs organized by Beyond Differences designed to work with middle and high school students to promote social inclusivity within schools. Organizational partners include the New York City schools and the Sandy Hook Promise.