January 3, 2025
Written by Craig Davis, Vice President, Schools and Libraries Division of the Universal Service Administrative Co. (USAC)
The Funding Year (FY) 2025 FCC Form 471 application filing window will open on Wednesday, January 15, 2025, at 12:00 noon ET and will close on Wednesday, March 26, 2025, at 11:59 pm. ET. The E-Rate Productivity Center (EPC) Administrative Window will close January 9 (see below).
The E-Rate section of USAC's website provides resources for new applicants or applicants continuing to participate in the program. I recommend that you review these resources, or any others that apply to your situation, as you begin your FY2025 preparations:
- First-time Filers – If you are new to the E-Rate program, you will need a user account in the E-Rate Productivity Center (EPC), our applicant and service provider portal. For security purposes, you will also need a login and password for One Portal, our multi-factor authentication security system. If you are new to the program, our Customer Service Center (CSC) at (888) 203-8100, can help you set up your organization's EPC profile and your account administrator.
- Update Your EPC Profile During the Administrative Window – Update your EPC profile by January 9, 2025, at 11:59 pm. ET to ensure a smoother filing process and more timely review of your applications. You will not be able to make changes to your EPC profile after that date. View the EPC Administrative Window webinar on the Webinars page, which includes information about establishing accounts and user rights for EPC and view the webinar slides.
- Category Two (C2) Budgets – FY2025 is the fifth and final year of the five-year C2 budget cycle. The budgets are fixed for the five-year cycle and apply at the school district or library system level. If you requested C2 funding in prior funding years and your student counts or library square footage have increased, you can request a C2 budget recalculation. Please view the Category Two Budgets webinar on the Webinars page for more details about whether you should consider doing this. The FY2021-FY2025 Category Two (C2) Budget Management Guide can show you how to check your available C2 funding, determine if you have any expired C2 funding, and how to submit an FCC Form 500 to reduce expired or unused commitments and make that funding available for FY2025.
- Review the Eligible Services List (ESL) – The ESL for each funding year provides guidance on the eligibility of products and services under the E-Rate program. Go to the Eligible Services List page for guidance on the eligibility of products and services for FY2025 including the newly eligible Wi-Fi equipment (devices) for off-premises use and services to make the devices functional (check out the Wi-Fi Hotspots Budget Calculator too). School bus Wi-Fi devices and associated mobile wireless services became available starting in FY2024.
- Proceed With Competitive Bidding – If you have not started the competitive bidding process by filing your FCC Form 470, please begin now. Remember that you must wait at least 28 days after filing the form before entering into an agreement with your selected service provider(s) and filing your FCC Form 471 application(s). View the E-Rate Pre-Commitment Process webinar on the Webinars page.
- Install Browser Updates – Google Chrome is the recommended browser for EPC, but no matter which browser you use, be sure the latest version is installed on your computer.
Submit applications as early in the filing window as possible so USAC can begin the review processes necessary to process your applications and issue timely funding commitment decisions.
For assistance filing open a customer service case in EPC or call CSC at (888) 203-8100 on weekdays between 8:00 am and 8:00 pm ET.