On September 19, 2022, the Federal Communications Commission issued an Order granting a waiver and extension of the service delivery deadline for Funding Year 2020 and 2021 non-recurring funding requests which have a current deadline of September 30, 2022. Responding to a request from the Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband Coalition (SHLB), the Commission noted that “there is good cause to waive and extend the upcoming September 30, 2022 non-recurring service implementation deadline” due to “the continuation of global supply chain delays and its impact on the timely delivery and installation of applicants’ E-Rate-funded equipment and services.”
The FCC’s waiver and extension does not apply to Funding Year 2020 requests which currently have a deadline of September 30, 2021. In its decision not to make the waiver retroactive, the FCC notes that their “waiver standards are not met to provide a blanket extension for all funding year 2020 non-recurring service requests nearly one year after this deadline has passed. If there are special circumstances, these applicants may file a waiver request for these funding year 2020 non-recurring services that were required to be implemented by September 30, 2021.”
The FCC’s Order may be viewed here.