{"id":36341,"date":"2026-09-15T14:37:37","date_gmt":"2026-09-15T18:37:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/e-ratepa.org\/?p=36341"},"modified":"2026-09-20T14:38:51","modified_gmt":"2026-09-20T18:38:51","slug":"back-to-school-e-rate-update-sept-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/e-ratepa.org\/?p=36341","title":{"rendered":"Back-to-School E-Rate Update \u2013 Sept 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">September 15, 2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Happy September, E-Raters!\u00a0 I hope everyone had a great summer, and your back-to-school transition went smoothly.\u00a0 This time of year brings lots of E-Rate activity as you wrap up FY 2025, implement FY 2026, and prepare to bid\/apply for FY 2027.\u00a0 Please take a few minutes to review these updates to ensure that your filings are on track.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Need an Extension for FY 2025 Equipment Installation?<\/strong>\u00a0 The deadline to receive <strong>and<\/strong> install your FY 2025 equipment is September 30, 2026.\u00a0 If you cannot purchase AND install the equipment by this date, submit a Form 500 in EPC now to receive a 1-year extension (through Sept 30, 2027).\u00a0 Important: \u00a0All requests must be made before the September 30, 2026, deadline. \u00a0 Note: \u00a0Don\u2019t confuse this with FY 2026 equipment purchases (you already have until September 30, 2027, to purchase and install that equipment).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>FY 2025 BEAR Reimbursement Filings for Recurring Services:<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0Applicants who did not receive discounted vendor bills for FY 2025 recurring services must submit their BEARs by October 28, 2026, or request a one-time extension by this date.\u00a0 The Form 472 BEAR Filing Guide is available at:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/e-ratepa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Form-472-BEAR-Filing-Guide.pdf\" class=\"mtli_attachment mtli_pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Form-472-BEAR-Filing-Guide.pdf<\/strong><\/a>.\u00a0 As a reminder, BEAR reimbursements now require applicants to have an active SAM.gov registration, with the Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) added to FCC Form 498 in EPC, allowing funds to be disbursed to the bank account associated with the SAM.gov registration. \u00a0<strong>Payments will be held for BEAR filers who have not completed this step.\u00a0 For more information, see the 9\/2\/2026 listserv posting at<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/e-ratepa.org\/?p=36332\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">https:\/\/e-ratepa.org\/?p=36332<\/a><\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Register Now for Fall E-Rate Training\u00a0<\/strong>\u2013 Registration for the Fall 2026 (FY2027) PA E-Rate trainings is now open!\u00a0 Training workshops will include the annual veterans\u2019 workshop, beginner training, and C1\/C2 eligibility and Form 470 bidding training.\u00a0 If you are new or newish to E-Rate, please plan on attending these training courses so you are prepared to begin FY 2027.\u00a0 Register now at\u00a0\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/e-ratepa.org\/?page_id=745\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>https:\/\/e-ratepa.org\/?page_id=745<\/strong><\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Status of FY 2026 Funding Commitments: \u00a0PIA review is running behind this year.<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0As of September 15, 73% of PA funding requests have been decided.\u00a0 Typically, by this time of year, more than 90% of requests have been funded.\u00a0 However, PIA does continue to actively review applications, so if your Form 471 has not yet been decided, be sure to check your email for PIA inquiries.\u00a0 If you need\u00a0help understanding the PIA review process or where to find the PIA reviewer\u2019s questions, please see:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/e-ratepa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/PIA-Review-Guide-FY-2026.pdf\" class=\"mtli_attachment mtli_pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>PIA Review Guide FY 2026<\/strong><\/a>.\u00a0 If you need help responding to a PIA inquiry, please email me.\u00a0\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>File Your FY 2026 Form 486<\/strong>: \u00a0The next step after receiving a FCDL (funding commitment decision letter) is to file the Form 486. It\u2019s a very easy form to submit, and I strongly encourage you to file it on the day you receive the FCDL, so you don\u2019t forget.\u00a0 Two reminders: \u00a0Do not check the \u2018Early Filing Box\u2019 when filing the 486 after July 31, and be careful not to be \u201cclick happy\u201d on the CIPA certifications.\u00a0 Full instructions on filing the Form 486 can be found at:\u00a0\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/e-ratepa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/How-to-File-a-Form-486-FY2026.pdf\" class=\"mtli_attachment mtli_pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Form 486 Filing Guide FY 2026<\/a>.<\/strong>\u00a0 I\u2019ll send a Form 486 reminder in a few weeks with the list of applicants who\u00a0haven\u2019t yet filed.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Changing EPC Account Administrators\/Adding New EPC Users:<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0Summer often brings staffing changes, and it\u2019s important that the new staff get set up in EPC so they are prepared to file E-Rate forms as soon as they\u2019re due.\u00a0 Hints: \u00a0Only AA\u2019s can create new EPC user accounts and assign user permissions.\u2019 \u00a0Only AAs can transfer their AA \u2018credentials\u2019 to another existing EPC User.\u00a0 If the AA is the new staff member and the previous AA is no longer with the school or library, contact CSC at\u00a0<strong>888-203-8100<\/strong>, and they will set up a new EPC AA account (only CSC can do this).\u00a0 For a complete guide on how to add\/remove EPC users, or change AAs, see:\u00a0\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/e-ratepa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/EPC-How-To-Guide-as-of-Dec-2025.pdf\" class=\"mtli_attachment mtli_pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">EPC Admin Guide \u2013 Logging In\/Updating AAs\/Adding \u2013 Removing Users<\/a>.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>If you need any new E-Rate contacts added to the PA E-Rate Listserv, please e-mail me their contact information.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Watch for additional information and tools I\u2019ll be sharing regarding the FCC&#8217;s NPRMs, which are proposing major changes to the E-Rate program, to allow you to make your voice heard.\u00a0 For NPRM details, see the listserv posting from 8\/14\/2026 located at\u00a0\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/e-ratepa.org\/?p=36317\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>https:\/\/e-ratepa.org\/?p=36317<\/strong><\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you have any questions, please don\u2019t hesitate to contact me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sincerely,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Lorrie<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><em>Lorrie Germann<\/em><\/strong><br>Pennsylvania E-Rate Coordinator<br>717-576-2737 &#8211; o<br>lgermann@e-ratepa.org<br>www.e-ratepa.org<\/p>\n\n<div class=\"twitter-share\"><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?via=eratepenn\" class=\"twitter-share-button\" data-size=\"large\">Tweet<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>September 15, 2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[52],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-36341","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-listserve_archive"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/e-ratepa.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36341","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/e-ratepa.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/e-ratepa.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/e-ratepa.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/e-ratepa.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=36341"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/e-ratepa.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36341\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":36342,"href":"https:\/\/e-ratepa.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36341\/revisions\/36342"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/e-ratepa.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=36341"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/e-ratepa.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=36341"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/e-ratepa.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=36341"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}