Upcoming Dates

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.

June 30, 2026

Request a Service Delivery Deadline Extension for Special Construction

To be eligible for E-Rate program discounts for special construction charges, special construction must be completed in time for the fiber to be lit or to be in use by the end of the relevant funding year (i.e., June 30, 2026 for FY2025). This deadline applies to leased lit fiber, leased dark fiber, or a self-provisioned network involving another technology. If the June 30 deadline is not met and you have not requested and received an extension, your special construction charges will not be eligible for support under program rules, and you will need to seek a waiver of the rule from the FCC.

If you sought support for special construction related to leased lit fiber, leased dark fiber, or self-provisioned networks for FY2025, you may request a one-year extension of the June 30 deadline by demonstrating that construction was unavoidably delayed due to weather or other reasons, or by the late issuance of an FCDL. You must demonstrate that the reason or reasons have unavoidably delayed special construction in a manner that prevents the fiber from being lit, or a self-provisioned network using another technology from being implemented, in time to be in use by the June 30 deadline.

Applicants must file an FCC Form 500 by June 30, 2026 to request this one-year extension. Go to FAQS: Eligible Fiber Services for additional information regarding deadlines and extensions in relation to non-recurring special construction charges.

If you have not yet received your FCDL and you need to request an extension of this deadline, file a customer service case in EPC and attach a completed Special Construction Deadline Extension Request (SCDER) to the case on or before June 30, 2026. Be sure to specify the funding year for your FRN(s) (spreadsheet defaults to FY2022, so be sure to update the funding year).

If you need assistance, you can open a customer service case in EPC or call the Customer Service Center at (888) 203-8100, Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. E.T.

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.

July 1, 2026

FY2026 Invoicing Begins on July 1

After USAC has committed funding and processed your FY2026 FCC Form 486, you or your service provider can begin invoicing USAC for the discounted share of the costs for the approved eligible equipment and services. Service provider(s) must have a FY2026 FCC Form 473 (SPAC) on file before any invoices can be processed or funding disbursed. Register for today’s E-Rate Service Providers Webinar to learn more about the FCC Form 473 annual certification, the invoicing process, and key reminders.

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.