Upcoming Dates

June 16, 2026

Open Data Webinar Part 1: Open Data Overview

The Open Data Webinar Part 1: Open Data Overview will be on Tuesday, June 16, 2026, from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. E.T.  This webinar will enhance your E-Rate program experience with Open Data, USAC’s data sharing platform. This webinar is the first in a two-part series and provides an overview of the E-Rate specific tools and datasets in Open Data. Register.

June 18, 2026

E-Rate Invoicing Webinar

The E-Rate Invoicing Webinar will be on Thursday, June 18, 2026, from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. E.T. This webinar is designed to help E-Rate applicants and service providers of varying levels better understand the invoicing process, including the differences between the BEAR and SPI invoicing methods (FCC Form 472 and FCC Form 474). The webinar will also cover invoice deadlines, filing an invoice, reviews, and more. Applicants and service providers should review their respective eLearning Module courses prior to attending. Register.

June 25, 2026

Open Data Webinar Part 2: Creating Reports and Visualizations

The Open Data Webinar Part 2: Creating Reports and Visualizations will be on Thursday, June 25, 2026, from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. E.T. This follow-up webinar to the Open Data Overview (Webinar 1) dives more deeply into using E-Rate data tools. Participants can expect tangible examples on how to create custom reports and visuals for an enhanced program experience. To be successful in this webinar, you should have attended Webinar 1. Register.

June 29, 2026

American Library Association (ALA) Conference

E-Rate experts will be attending the American Library Association (ALA) Conference from June 25-29, 2026, in Chicago, Illinois. Event link.

June 30, 2026

June 30, 2025: Last Day to Receive Recurring Services for FY2025

If the same service provider will continue to provide your recurring service after June 30, 2026, you must use the Funding Request Number (FRN) approved for FY2026 when you are invoicing for recurring services that start on or after July 1, 2026.

July 1, 2026

ISTELive & ASCD Conference

E-Rate experts will be attending the International Society for Technology in Education’s ISTELive and the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) Conference from June 28-July 1, 2026, in Orlando, Florida. Event link.

August 1, 2026

BEAR Filers and Service Providers: Update your FCC Form 498

Beginning August 2026, USAC will use SAM.gov banking information to pay all Universal Service Fund invoices and will stop using existing banking information from the FCC Form 498. To continue receiving USF disbursements, all service providers and E-Rate participants who use the BEAR invoicing method (FCC Form 472) to receive USF disbursements must have an active SAM.gov account, a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) on their FCC Form 498, and have a valid bank account associated with their SAM.gov account. The transition to SAM.gov will not affect an entity’s ability to submit invoices or any required forms. However, USAC will hold payments (i.e., you will not be paid) until a UEI is added to the FCC Form 498 and there is an active SAM.gov account associated with the invoice filer. For more information, visit USAC’s SAM.gov and UEI Requirement webpage.

September 11, 2026

September 11, 2026: Summer Deferral Ends

USAC processes program forms and requests as promptly as possible to issue timely decisions. If information is missing or incomplete, we may request additional information and/or documentation about your form or request. During this time of year, our most common reason for initiating contact is to obtain more information about your FY2026 FCC Form 471 to complete PIA reviews.

Starting May 22, 2026, if our first attempt to contact you is on or after May 22, and we do not receive a response to our questions, we will put your application(s) on a deferred status and will continue the review of your application(s) sometime after September 11, 2026. This period is known as the “summer deferral period.” During this period, which runs from the Friday before Memorial Day (i.e., May 22, 2026) through the Friday following Labor Day (i.e., September 11, 2026), please note the following:

• You can always contact us or respond to our pending questions to restart the review of your application(s) if you become available before September 11, and we encourage you to do so to expedite the review of your application(s).
• If the PIA reviewer has already contacted you and you wish to designate someone to answer questions in your absence, be sure to send your designee’s contact information to your PIA reviewer. If the PIA reviewer has not contacted you and your designee will be checking your messages, be sure that you have provided written authorization for your designee to answer questions about your application(s).
• If the PIA reviewer makes contact with someone representing your organization but that person is not in a position to answer PIA questions, they should clearly state to the PIA reviewer that the review of your application(s) should remain on hold until you are available.

PIA questions are posted in EPC, and you will also receive an email from EPC notifying you to respond to the questions. Full- and partial-rights users on the organization’s account can see and respond to the PIA questions.

If our first attempt to contact you was before May 22, the automatic summer deferral period does not apply, and you will be required to respond timely to PIA requests. Please respond promptly to any PIA requests for information or documentation. During the summer deferral period, USAC will only continue reviews of forms and requests where documentation has already been received, or participants have responded to information requests sent in EPC. If participants do not respond during these periods, the form or requests will be placed in a deferred status until the deferral period ends, at which time we will continue our regular review process.

September 15, 2026

E-Rate In-Person Training: Phoenix, AZ

USAC is coming to an event near you. E-Rate experts will provide training, discuss program updates, and answer questions from new and experienced participants in Phoenix, AZ, on September 15, 2026, at the Salvation Army Kroc Center, 1375 E. Broadway Road. Register.

September 24, 2026

E-Rate In-Person Training: Washington DC

USAC is coming to an event near you. E-Rate experts will provide training, discuss program updates, and answer questions from new and experienced participants in Washington, D.C., on September 24, 2026. Register.