Friday note · Oct 23, 2026
EPC window is open. Two deadlines next week.
1. EPC admin window is open. Fix your profile now.
USAC opened the administrative window on Wed Oct 21, 2026. It closes shortly before the FY2027 Form 471 window opens in early 2027, and then applicant profiles lock. Check your entity data, student counts, and contacts this month, not the week the 471 window opens. Our estimate: one hour. USAC lists EPC maintenance Fri Oct 23 from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. ET (6 to 10 p.m. AZ), so finish EPC work before then.
USAC · EPC Administrative Window
2. Oct 28: invoice or ask for the extension on FY2025 recurring FRNs.
In most cases, Oct 28, 2026 is the deadline to invoice FY2025 recurring-services FRNs or ask for the one-time 120-day invoice deadline extension. It covers both the BEAR (Form 472) and the service provider's invoice (Form 474). Pull your FY2025 recurring FRNs and confirm with your provider which ones are being invoiced. If one isn't ready, ask for the extension. USAC says the extension request must come before, or within 15 days of, the original invoice deadline.
3. Oct 29: FY2026 Form 486, but only if both conditions apply.
The Oct 29, 2026 deadline applies only if your FCDL is dated on or before July 1, 2026 and your service start date is July 1, 2026. If you don't meet both, it isn't your deadline. If you do and you haven't certified yet, file this week. If you miss it, USAC sends an urgent reminder letter, and you'd rather not be on that list.
4. BeyondTrust Remote Support, patch now if you self-host.
CISA says attackers are actively exploiting CVE-2026-102764, an authentication bypass in BeyondTrust Remote Support 26.2.3 and earlier. If you run your own appliance, apply BT26-05-RS (older than 24.3.1 means upgrade first), restrict admin interfaces to trusted networks, and if you suspect a compromise, hunt for unrecognized privileged or administrative sessions and run network and memory forensics on the appliance. Hosted (SaaS) customers are already patched. Our estimate: 30 to 60 minutes.
CISA · BeyondTrust Remote Support (Oct 16)
5. Fifth Circuit rules against the FCC on USAC. Our read: your filing doesn't change.
On Oct 15, 2026 the Fifth Circuit decided Consumers' Research v. FCC, No. 25-60535. It vacated the Q4 2025 contribution factor and sent it back to the FCC. Our inference: the opinion doesn't address E-Rate filing. On timing, the docket lists Dec 7, 2026 as the mandate date, which can move if someone seeks rehearing. Keep filing on your normal schedule until USAC or the FCC tells you otherwise.
Fifth Circuit · No. 25-60535 opinion
Ignore this
FR 2026-21314, an FCC notice changing USAC's customer-relationship records system. There's nothing for you to do.
Forward this to the other person on the team. The Friday note is free. No vendor pitches.
The Maddux Report is not legal, procurement, or E-Rate filing advice.