Office of Educational Technology (EdTech)

E-Rate

E-rate is a federal program that provides discounts on technology for schools and libraries. It is administered by the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) under the oversight of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

Schools and libraries are eligible for discounts in two categories: Category 1: Services that Support Connectivity to the Building, and Category 2: Services that Support Connectivity Within the Building. Discounts range from 20% to 85%. Almost all Massachusetts public schools qualify for at least a 40% discount based on their National School Lunch Program (NSLP) eligibility and rural/urban status.

Note: We are currently in the first year of a new five-year cycle (2026-2030). The pre-discount budget has been adjusted for inflation to $201.57 per student . For smaller schools, there is a minimum "funding floor" of $30,175 per site.

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Applicant Process

Before You Begin (includes description of the E-Rate program, the application process flow chart, eligible services, eligible facilities, and more.)

  1. Competitive Bidding (Filing an FCC Form 470, Requests for Proposals, Open and Fair Competitive Bidding Process)
  2. Selecting Service Providers (Bid Evaluations, Receiving Services Under Contracts)
  3. Applying for Discounts (Filing FCC Form 471)
  4. Application Review (Response Time, Additional Reviews, and Follow-Up)
    • Note: During PIA review, USAC often asks districts for third-party verification of the percentage of students eligible for the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) by school. DESE is providing this information to schools using data as of October 2025 for verification purposes.
  5. Starting Services (Filing an FCC Form 486, CIPA Compliance)
  6. Invoicing (Prerequisites, Deadlines)

Before You're Done (Corrections, Changes, Deadline Extensions, and Appeals)

Last Updated: March 12, 2026

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