The FCC Form 471 filing deadline for Funding Year 2022 closes on Tuesday, March 22, 2022, at 8:59 p.m. PDT. All applicants who are seeking E-Rate funding for eligible Category 1 and Category 2 services delivered between July 1, 2022 and June 30, 2023, must file their annual FCC Form 471 funding requests in USAC’s E-rate Productivity Center (EPC) online portal of the Universal Service Administrative Company’s (USAC) website by the March 22 deadline.

FCC Extends the Time to Receive Services under the Emergency Connectivity Fund Program to June 30, 2023 Based upon feedback from multiple stakeholder groups, the Federal Communications Commission has agreed to allow schools to use their approved Emergency Connectivity Fund (ECF) program funding to purchase equipment, other non-recurring services, and recurring services through June 30, 2023, a one-year extension from the original June 30, 2022, deadline. This extension applies to ECF applications successfully filed in the two application windows in the summer and fall of 2021. Since the application periods closed it has become clear that factors outside of the control of schools could jeopardize their ability to fully utilize their approved funding.

February 22, 2022 is Deadline to File FCC Form 470 for Funding Year 2022 E-Rate competitive bidding rules require that an FCC Form 470 be posted for a minimum of 28 days before filing an associated FCC Form 471 funding request. The E-Rate applicant must also follow all E-Rate competitive bidding rules. Note that the last date to file an FCC Form 470 and meet the minimum 28-day requirement, and also meet the FCC Form 471 filing deadline of March 22, 2022, would be February 22, 2022.

Funding Year 2022 E-rate Application Window Is Open The Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) has announced the Funding Year 2022 E-rate application filing window. Schools that wish to request E-rate funding for services received from July 1, 2022 through June 30, 2023 must submit and certify an FCC Form 471 application in USAC’s E-rate Productivity Center (EPC) between Wednesday, January 12, 2022 and Tuesday, March 22, 2022. This is one of the earliest filing deadlines on record for the past few years. Schools are encouraged to create an internal timeline of events and necessary tasks so as to keep on track to meet the March 22 submission deadline.

FCC Clarifies Emergency Connectivity Fund Invoice Deadline On December 2, 2021, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) normalized the invoice deadline for all Emergency Connectivity Fund (ECF) funding requests filed in the first and second application windows. The effective deadline for submission of invoices to USAC is the later of the following: August 29, 2022, or (less common), 60 days from the issuance of a Funding Commitment Decision Letter or Revised Funding Commitment Decision Letter approving a post-commitment change or appeal.

Earlier this year, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced the $7.17 billion Emergency Connectivity Fund (ECF), a temporary federal funding program available to E-rate eligible schools. ECF program funds may reimburse schools for the purchase of internet service and laptops or tablets necessary for students and teachers to participate remote learning activities away from school. October 13, 2021, is the final deadline to file applications for ECF funding for purchases between July 1, 2021, and June 30, 2022. More information may be found on the FCC’s website at https://www.fcc.gov/emergency-connectivity-fund.

USAC will be opening a second application window for the Emergency Connectivity Fund (ECF) on September 28, 2021. This will be a short two-week window that will close on October 13, 2021. The California Department of Education (CDE) and California K-12 High Speed Network (K12HSN) will be hosting a webinar, Emergency Connectivity Fund Updates and Second Application Window Tips, on Wednesday, September 22, 2021 at noon.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has announced that the total demand for the first Emergency Connectivity Fund (ECF) application window is $5.137 billion out of the available $7.17 billion in program funds. Because of the short timeframe of the first application window, and the demand is below the cap, the FCC will open a second application window from September 28 to October 13, 2021. This application window will be for eligible expenditures to support remote learning during the 2021/2022 fiscal period. You may view the announcement at this website: https://www.fcc.gov/document/fcc-announces-over-5-billion-emergency-connectivity-fund-requests.

The first application window for the Emergency Connectivity Fund (ECF) closed Friday, August 13, 2021. While nationwide data is not available at this time, California public schools applied for approximately $712 million, a little over 10% of the $7.17 billion in available funds. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) may announce additional application window(s) to come, if funds are available. The FCC set targets for the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) in processing ECF applications; it expects USAC to process 50% by September 12 and 70% by November 21.

Friday, August 13, 2021, is the Deadline to File Applications for the Emergency Connectivity Fund Earlier this year, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced the $7.17 billion Emergency Connectivity Fund (ECF), a temporary federal funding program available to E-rate eligible schools. ECF program funds may reimburse schools for the purchase of internet service and laptops or tablets necessary for students and teachers to participate remote learning activities away from school. August 13, 2021, is the deadline to file applications for ECF funding for purchases made between July 1, 2021, and June 30, 2022.