Partners

E-Rate Funding for K-12 & Libraries —
Engineered, Documented, Audit-Ready

The FCC's Universal Service Schools and Libraries programme funds up to 90% of eligible internet, network, and Wi-Fi infrastructure for qualifying schools and libraries. VSERV is a registered E-Rate service provider — we run the technology and the paperwork so your discount lands.

Who qualifies

Eligibility in four checks.

01
Public or non-profit K-12 schools

Includes traditional, charter, and tribal schools serving grades K through 12. Pre-K and adult education programmes are also eligible under certain conditions.

02
Public libraries

Including state, regional, and tribal libraries, plus library consortia. Eligible for the same Category One and Category Two services schools receive.

03
National School Lunch Programme

Discount level (20%–90%) is set by the percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunches at your applicant entity.

04
Compliant procurement

Services must be procured competitively through the Form 470 process and meet the FCC's "lowest cost compliant" rule. We file and run that for you.

The journey

From application to invoice — five steps.

1

Needs assessment & eligibility check (July–September)

VSERV walks your IT and finance teams through what's eligible — bandwidth, internal connections, network gear, Wi-Fi — and confirms your discount band against current NSLP data.

2

Form 470 filing (October–January)

We draft and file your Form 470 in USAC's EPC system, manage the mandatory 28-day competitive bid window, and evaluate responses against the FCC's compliance rules.

3

Form 471 application (January–March)

VSERV prepares and submits your Form 471 funding request package — line items, certifications, supporting documentation — before the application window closes.

4

PIA review & FCDL (April–July)

We respond to USAC's Programme Integrity Assurance review on your behalf and shepherd you through to the Funding Commitment Decision Letter that authorises the discount.

5

Delivery, invoicing & BEAR claims (rolling)

VSERV deploys the funded service or equipment, then files Form 472 BEAR or Form 474 SPI claims so the discount flows back into your operating budget without you chasing paperwork.

Sample savings — 1,200-student district

A mid-size school district with an 80% NSLP discount eligibility, refreshing internal Wi-Fi and uplink bandwidth in a 2026 Category One + Two filing managed end-to-end by VSERV.

$184K
net E-Rate discount on a $230K project
Downloads

Reference materials for your filing.

Get Your 2026–27 Filing Right the First Time

Form 470 windows open this summer. Start a conversation now and we'll walk you through eligibility, scope, and what to put in the application.

Registered E-Rate provider  ·  End-to-end filing support  ·  Audit-ready documentation