USAC Announces E-rate Demand Estimate for FY2021

On March 26, 2021, USAC estimated the demand for E-rate services at $3.03 billion for Funding Year 2021.

This estimate includes $1.69 billion for Category 1 services and $1.34 billion for Category 2 services. USAC calculated this estimate based on the total amount of funding requested in Form 471 applications received by the close of the FY2021 filing window. Nearly 35,600 applications were submitted in window. Applications filed within two weeks of the deadline that will likely be granted a waiver were not included in the report.

A table showing estimated demand by service type and discount band is available here. Nearly 50 percent of the C1 requests were made by applicants in the 90 percent and higher discount category. In C2, requests for MIBS has nearly doubled in the past two years – from $27 million in FY 2019 to $44 million this year.