E-rate Commentary

John Harrington, CEMP

by John Harrington

December 4, 2025

What E-rate Applicants Are Telling Us About FY2026 and Why It Matters Right Now

The 2025 E-rate Trends Report offers one of the clearest pictures yet of what schools and libraries are experiencing as they prepare for the next funding cycle. With 1,329 respondents...

John Harrington, CEMP

by John Harrington

December 4, 2025

Why We Do the Trends Report Every Year

For more than a decade, we have published an annual study that captures the voices of school and library leaders across the United States. It is called the E-rate Trends...

John Harrington, CEMP

by John Harrington

November 20, 2025

When Rules Meet the Mission

Leaders live in the tension between the letter of the law and the spirit of the law. Policies and procedures exist for good reasons. So does judgment. Recently I faced...

John Harrington, CEMP

by John Harrington

November 20, 2025

Plan Now: New Category Two Budgets and EPC Updates

USAC has begun preparing for the next Category Two (C2) budget cycle, and applicants should do the same. The November 18 E-Rate News Brief notes that the C2 Budget Tool...

John Harrington, CEMP

by John Harrington

November 13, 2025

Keep Your Cool: The Case for a Calming Presence

Pressure exposes our habits. When the stakes rise, we either steady the room, or spike it. At Funds For Learning we call the steady version a calming presence: keeping perspective,...

John Harrington, CEMP

by John Harrington

November 13, 2025

E-rate Operations Continue as FCC Prepares to Reopen

As the federal government ends its record-length shutdown and agencies resume operations, E-rate program operations have remained steady and uninterrupted. While the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) suspended most of its...

John Harrington, CEMP

by John Harrington

November 5, 2025

E-rate and the Federal Shutdown: What Schools and Libraries Need to Know

Introduction The federal government shutdown has renewed questions across the education community: Will E-rate funding be delayed? Could application reviews or payments be disrupted? While headlines focus on political gridlock...

John Harrington, CEMP

by John Harrington

November 5, 2025

Advancing CoSN’s Mission Together

For nearly thirty years, I’ve worked alongside educators, policymakers, and technology leaders to help schools and libraries connect their communities with faster internet and better learning opportunities. It’s work that...