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Federal E-Rate Program Resources

Overview

The E-Rate program was established in 1996 and is the federal government’s largest and longest running educational technology program. The program helps ensure Schools and Libraries are connected to information and resources through the internet at affordable rates. It will provide discounts on eligible services from 20%-90% based on an approved poverty level metric (such as free and reduced lunch participation rates) and urban or rural location of the population served. See *USAC’s At-A-Glance Program Overview for a quick program introduction. We have provided further program resources below to help program participants. If you have further questions please contact our State E-Rate Coordinator.

*Please note this document is not in an accessible format. If you have any questions or would like to request an accessible version of the document, please contact the State E-Rate Coordinator.

​Quick Reference for Guide for E-Rate Program Participants​​​

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Funding Cycles:​

  • Previous Funding Year: FY 2023 (7/1/2023 - 6/30/2024)
  • Current Funding Year: FY 2024 (7/1/2024 - 6/30/2025)
  • Next Funding Year: FY 2025 (7/1/2025 - 6/30/2026)​​
  • Current Category 2 Budget Cycle: FY 2021 - FY 2025 (7/1/2021 - 6/30/2026)

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Valid File Information Requests Available for Review:

  • Funding Year 2023: Administrative Window Closed. Only Third Party Validation Letters are available for FY 2023.
  • Funding Year 2024: Administrative Window Closed. Only Third Party Validation Letters are available for FY 2024.
  • Funding Year 2025: Availavle beginning October 14th, 2024 until close of the administrative window (TBD by FCC)

​State Validation of Free and Reduced Lunch Program Information:​

The most common type of discount calculation method Oregon applicants utilize is based on National School Lunch Program (NSLP; also known as the Free and Reduced Lunch Program) Eligibility or Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) Program Participation.

The State E-Rate Coordinator works with the Child Nutrition Program to create a Valid File prior to each E-Rate application year. The data used in the Valid File comes from the current school year's Fall Membership Report (student enrollment) and the Fall NSLP or CEP data from the prior school year’s State Validated Data.

Example: The Valid File for the E-Rate Funding Year 2024 will contain NSLP/CEP data from October 2022’s data co​llection, which is validated by March 2023.

Due to student data privacy, the Valid File is not publicly posted. What data can be posted will still appear on the Student Data Home Page under the Student Enrollment Report and the Free and Reduced Lunch Report. Each participant can request a secure report of their specific school district's validated information from our State E-Rate Coordinator. Please allow up to 3 business days for a report response.

Participants can also request the updates to the file prior to the close of the administrative window through the State E-Rate Coordinator​. The file will be submitted to the program administrator (USAC) the day after the administrative window closes. This date is determined by the FCC and varies each year (usually falls early to mid-January). This process helps streamline the application's Program Integrity Assurance (PIA) review.​​​​​​

Get Started in E-Rate: navigates you to an overview page where you can select your specific role (Applicant, Service Provider, or Tribal Partner) and view applicable trainings.

USAC Training Events and Recordings

ODE Broadband Connectivity and Weekly E-Rate Forum Newsletter: Subscription Link and Newsletter Archive​

USAC E-Rate News Brief: Subscription Link and Newsletter Archive (on the same page)​​

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E-Rate Program Customer Service Center

The Federal E-Rate Program Team is available to help participants with program questions, problems, and system issues. You may either file a Customer Service Case through your profile in the E-Rate Productivity Center (EPC) or you can call (888) 203-8100 Monday through Friday, 8 am to 8 pm ET.​

State E-Rate Coordinator for Schools

ODE’s designated School E-Rate Coordinator is here to assist. The State E-Rate Coordinator will:​

  • Provide the yearly State Eligibility and Enrollment Valid File to USAC. Also provide any required Third-Party Validation Letters from the state.
  • Assist program participants with technical support including navigating program process, research, and interpretation of the program guidelines.
  • Communicate with the E-Rate Program Administrator and Policy Makers as the designated state representative for E-Rate and Schools.

Please note the Oregon State E-Rate Coordinator will provide technical assistance for program participants in completing their own applications. If you are looking for more hands-on support in filing your application or to outsource the program management completely, you may want to consider an E-Rate Consultant. If your Education Service District or School District does not have a designated coordinating team or consulting team, here is a list of known reputable E-Rate Consultants​, open to new clients. If you are an E-Rate Consultant and you’d like your information to be included, updated, or removed from this list, please email our coordinator with your request. Thank you!​​​​​​


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