[OPLINLIST] Fwd: FY 2026 Form 471 Filing Window Dates Announced - Corrected

[Christine Morris]

 Greetings,

Lorrie Germann has shared updates about upcoming E-Rate deadlines.

Due to the changes in the Category 2 Eligible Services List, Lorrie will be
presenting an updated Form 470 for Category 2 Funding workshop for
libraries on January 8. Details will be forthcoming soon.

Please reach out if you have any questions!

Best wishes,

Christine

--
Christine Morris (she/her)
Digital Resources Manager
Ohio Public Library Information Network
christine at oplin.ohio.gov
614-728-5252 (OPLIN Support)
614-728-0227 (direct)


---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Lorrie Germann <e-rate at ohio-k12.help>
Subject: FY 2026 Form 471 Filing Window Dates Announced - Corrected



Good morning E-Rate Community,

We have the dates! USAC has just announced that the* FY2026 Form 471
Application Window* dates will be *January 21, 2026, at 12:00 p.m. (ET) and
will close April 1, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. (ET). **January 16, 2026,* is the
close of the *Admin Window.* This is the last day you can update your
profile information in EPC.

*Form 470 Deadline*: The deadline to submit and certify the FY2026 Form 470
is *Wednesday, March 4*, *2026*. This will allow you to wait the required
minimum 28-day period before submitting and certifying your FY2026 Form 471
by the April 1, 2026, deadline.

*A couple more things to to know:*

*Updating EPC Profiles* – The period before the Form 471 window opens, when
schools and libraries are required to update their enrollment and NSLP (or
CEP%) data each year to recalculate their E-Rate discounts and make sure
their EPC profiles are up to date, is called the Admin Window. As mentioned
above, the Admin Window deadline for FY2026 is Friday, January 16th. If you
are participating in CEP, you can find the most current version of the CEP
Only MR-81 document at CEP Only MR-81 Data for Base Years 2022 - 2025
<https://www.ohio-k12.help?mailpoet_router&endpoint=track&action=click&data=WyIxMTgwNSIsIjkwZjI3MzQ0ZjU0Y2U1YzM2ODM0YTMxYmVjMzE5YWNkIiwiMjcxIiwiNmQwN2M3Nzk5NDA1IixmYWxzZV0>
. The document includes enrollment, CEP %, and Base Year data.

*Updating Category 2 Enrollment/Square Footage*: C2 budgets are calculated
based on the C2 multiplier. Starting with the new FY2026 – FY2030 C2 budget
cycle, the multiplier is $201.57/student for schools and $5.43/sq ft for
libraries – or a minimum of $30,175/building, based on the Category 2
enrollment or library square footage from the first year that you receive
Category 2 funding in the new budget cycle. If you’re applying for C2 in
FY2026, the school enrollment or library square footage must be updated.
That number will then be locked in for the 5-year budget cycle. If your
enrollment drops later in the cycle, the budget will not decrease. However,
if enrollment or square footage increases later in the cycle, you can
update the count to increase your budget.

*Eligible Services List Adopted* – The FCC has approved the FY2026 Eligible
Services List (ESL)
<https://www.ohio-k12.help?mailpoet_router&endpoint=track&action=click&data=WyIxMTgwNSIsIjkwZjI3MzQ0ZjU0Y2U1YzM2ODM0YTMxYmVjMzE5YWNkIiwiMjcxIiwiNjAxNDgyMzdjODVjIixmYWxzZV0>
and adopted the change to include software-based services, including bug
fixes, security patches, software-based technical assistance, and
configuration changes, under the Internal Connections equipment they
support, rather than as basic maintenance! This includes multi-year license
renewals that often include support and were previously funded under BMIC. This
change is a tremendous help for E-Rate applicants, bringing greater clarity
to one of the areas of the program most prone to errors: software and
remote services. By consolidating these services under Internal
Connections, the FCC has reduced the risk of misclassification and the loss
of funds!

   - Please note that Fixed maintenance contracts (on-site configuration
   changes and time and materials) will continue to be eligible for funding
   under BMIC, but only for the work that is actually performed under the
   contract

*FY2026 Form 471 Training *- Now that we have the filing dates, I will get
busy setting up the Form 471 training sessions and will send out an email
with the registration information ASAP. There will be a number of changes
to the form, so please plan on attending.

If you have questions, or need additional information, please do not
hesitate to contact me at lorrie.germann at education.ohio.gov
<https://www.ohio-k12.help?mailpoet_router&endpoint=track&action=click&data=WyIxMTgwNSIsIjkwZjI3MzQ0ZjU0Y2U1YzM2ODM0YTMxYmVjMzE5YWNkIiwiMjcxIiwiZjVjMzBhMWM1MDZjIixmYWxzZV0>
.

Wishing you all a very happy holiday season!

Sincerely,

Lorrie
*Lorrie Germann*
State E-Rate Coordinator
Ohio Department of Education & Workforce
lorrie.germann at education.ohio.gov
740-253-1153
https://www.ohio-k12.help/e-rate-support/
<https://www.ohio-k12.help?mailpoet_router&endpoint=track&action=click&data=WyIxMTgwNSIsIjkwZjI3MzQ0ZjU0Y2U1YzM2ODM0YTMxYmVjMzE5YWNkIiwiMjcxIiwiZjJjNDBhOTg4Yzg4IixmYWxzZV0>
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