September 25, 2026
New! Program Recovery Payments System
Beginning today, all users will be directed to USAC’s One Portal dashboard when they click the blue Sign In button on usac.org and log in using their existing credentials. From One Portal, users can log into EPC and other USAC systems, including the new Program Recovery Payments system for returning funding to USAC.
E-Rate program participants who receive a COMAD or RIDF must return funding using the Program Recovery Payments system available in One Portal. For more information about returning funding or how to navigate the system, visit the Return Program Funding webpage. For additional assistance, contact the E-Rate Customer Service Center (CSC) at (888) 203-8100 Monday-Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET.
September 17, 2026
EPC Administrative Window Opens October 21, 2026
The administrative window will open Wednesday, October 21, 2026 and will close shortly before the FY2027 FCC Form 471 application filing window opens in early 2027. After this time, applicant profiles will be locked, and you will not be able to make changes to your profile information.
FY2027 will be the second year of the FY2026-2030 Category Two (C2) budget cycle so applicants should update their student counts or library square footage as needed. The information in your EPC profile will be used to calculate a forecasted C2 budget for the FY2026-2030 cycle in the first year that you apply for C2 during the cycle.
Go to the EPC Administrative Window page for detailed information on updating entity profiles.
September 17, 2026
Competitive Bidding Reminders for FY2027
The FCC Form 470 and competitive bidding are the initial steps in the E-Rate program application process. Now that the FY2027 FCC Form 470 is available to applicants to submit and certify and start their competitive bidding processes, we are providing some reminders to help you through the remainder of the competitive bidding process. For a comprehensive review of all things competitive bidding, view the E-Rate FCC Form 470 and Competitive Bidding webinar held on August 6, 2026 or the webinar slides. View the How to File an FCC Form 470 learning module and the FY2027+ FCC Form 470 Services Guiding Statements Table on the USAC website to help you get started with your FY2027 competitive bidding process.
September 17, 2026
FY2025 Invoicing Deadline Reminders for Recurring Services
In most cases, October 28, 2026, is the deadline to submit an invoice or request a one-time 120-day invoice deadline extension (IDE) for FY2025 recurring services Funding Request Numbers (FRNs). To receive an IDE, your request must be made before or within 15 days of the original invoice deadline date (IDD). The deadline to submit an invoice or request an IDE applies to both applicant and service provider invoices – the FCC Form 472 (BEAR Form) and FCC Form 474 (SPI) and (eSPI)), respectively.
You can use the E-Rate FRN Status Tool FY2016+ to find the IDD for an FRN by searching for the relevant FRN(s) and looking in the “Last Date to Invoice” column.
USAC has created a new E-Rate Post Commitment Deadline Tool for applicants and service providers to better track critical post-commitment deadlines applicable to the E-Rate program. Specifically, the tool allows users to track invoicing deadlines, the FCC Form 473 (Service Provider Annual Certification, or SPAC) status, and the FCC Form 486 status in a unified interface to ensure applicants and service providers have visibility into the final stages of the funding lifecycle. You can learn more in the August 2026 E-Rate News Brief or view the PC Deadline Tool User Guide 2026.
