December 21, 2022

E-Rate Funding Year 2023 Application Filing Window Opens January 18, 2023

Dear E-Rate Participant:

I am pleased to announce that the Funding Year (FY) 2023 FCC Form 471 application filing window will open on Wednesday, January 18, 2023, at 12:00 noon ET and will close on Tuesday, March 28, 2023, at 11:59 p.m. ET.  The E-Rate Productivity Center (EPC) Administrative Window will close January 16 (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 FY2023 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 16, 2023, at 11:59 p.m. 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 – FY2023 is the third year of the new 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 FY2021 or FY2022 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.

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. Go to the Eligible Services List page for guidance on the eligibility of products and services for FY2023.

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.

USAC remains dedicated to efficient and effective review of your FY2023 applications. We encourage everyone to submit their 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.

While many in the E-Rate community continue to manage through the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, USAC is ready to assist applicants and service providers with their E-Rate issues. We wish you a successful FY2023 and, as always, we are here to help. Open a customer service case in EPC or call CSC at (888) 203-8100 on weekdays between 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. ET for assistance.

Sincerely,

Craig Davis
Vice President, Schools and Libraries Division