USAC's Sign In button now opens One Portal
Same credentials, new landing page. Sign in once and confirm you still reach EPC. Ignore Return Funding unless USAC has told you to send money back.
The briefing
Original notes for people who still have tickets open
How-tos first. National news only when it changes what you do on Tuesday.
BEAR payments are on hold without a SAM UEI on Form 498
As of September 8, USAC pays BEAR invoices from the bank account on your SAM.gov UEI. Missing UEI on the 498 means the invoice files and the money sits.
E-Rate Category 2 for small districts: the FY2026–2030 reset
New five-year C2 budgets, the $30,175 floor, and why leftover money from the last cycle is gone.
Cybersecurity if you are a two-person team: a 90-day plan
MFA, backups you can restore, inbox defenses, and vendor review — in the order that reduces real K–12 risk.
The school-year IT calendar for a 3,000-student district
A month-by-month operations calendar from summer imaging through spring testing.