News of the Week

E-Rate for FY 2025 – Application Window:

Application Window: The Form 471 application window for FY 2025 opened Wednesday, January 15th, and will close on Wednesday, March 26th, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. EDT.  For additional information on the FY 2025 filing window, including training opportunities, see USAC’s E-Rate Special Edition News Brief dated January 15th.

E-Rate for FY 2024:

Wave 42 for FY 2024 was released on Thursday, February 6th, for $6.81 million.  Total funding is now $2.57 billion.  Currently, USAC has funded 97.9% of the originally submitted applications, representing 88.1% of the dollars requested.

Cybersecurity Pilot Program – Application Window:

Application Window: The CBR Form 471 application window for the Cybersecurity Pilot Program opens March 18th and will close September 15th.  Total pilot funding is capped at $200 million for 707 applicants.

Upcoming Dates:

FCC Streamlined Decisions:

The FCC issued another set of “streamlined,” precedent-based appeals and waivers last week.  As with past streamlined decisions, applicants facing similar problems to those addressed in these decisions may garner useful information by carefully reading the additional FCC explanations found in the footnotes.  The original appeal and/or waiver requests can be found online in the FCC’s Search for Filings under Docket 02-6 (E-Rate) or Docket 21-93 (ECF).

In January’s streamlined decisions (DA 25-82), the FCC:

1. E-Rate Dismissed:
   1. One Request dismissed for failure to comply with the Commission’s basic filing requirements (including not specifying an application or Docket number).
2. E-Rate Granted:
   1. One Request for Waiver demonstrating an extraordinary circumstance warranting an invoice deadline extension.  The District had lost the copy of the associated contract requested during invoice review and its service provider had gone out of business.
   2. One Petition for Reconsideration of an appeal filing deadline finding that the supplier, school, and USAC were working to resolve application issues.
   3. One Request for Waiver, file on the FCC’s own motion, granting additional time to file an appeal.
   4. Three Requests for Waiver granting additional time to file invoices following late-filed Form 486s.
3. E-Rate Denied:
   1. One Request for Waiver for a late-file appeal or waiver.
4. ECF Granted:
   1. One Request for Waiver for the early delivery of equipment.
   2. Two Requests for Waiver of the service delivery date.