E-Rate

Public school districts, nonpublic schools, area education agencies and public libraries are eligible to apply for funding under the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) "E-Rate" Program. E-Rate provides discounts on telecommunications services (such as data circuits and Internet) and internal connections (such as routers and switches).

Funding Year 2026

E-Rate Form 471 Webinars

The E-rate program Form 471 application “window” for funding year 2026 (2026-27 school year) opened on Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026, and will close on Wednesday, April 1, 2026, at 10:59 p.m. CDT.  The last possible date to file form 470 and still have the required 28-day waiting period is March 4.

We have scheduled separate Form 471 webinars for Category 1 and Category 2 to create shorter and more focused training opportunities.

The Form 471 is available through the “EPC” portal.  To ensure you apply correctly, you are encouraged to participate in the informational webinars (no advance registration is needed).

Category 1

• Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026, 10-11 a.m. https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83111814832
• Monday, Feb. 9, 2026, 1-2 p.m. https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88364895833

Category 2

• Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026, 10-11:15 a.m. https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83365961509
• Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026, 1-2:15 p.m. https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84403537694

For those unable to attend any session, a recording will be available upon request by contacting Pam Jacobs at pam.jacobs@iowa.gov or 515-975-0071 after the session dates.

E-Rate Notifications

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