On July 21, 2020, the Federal Communications Commission released the draft Eligible Services List (ESL) for Funding Year 2021. While the draft ESL proposes no significant changes to the types of products and services which qualify for program support, the FCC notes two changes in the draft:
- In response to the FCC’s Protecting Against National Security Threats Order, the draft ESL notes that “equipment or services produced or provided by a company that the FCC has designated as a national security threat to the integrity of communications networks or the communications supply chain are not eligible for E-Rate support.”
- Because “system-wide” budgets will begin in Funding Year 2021, the introductory paragraph to the Category Two section of the ESL now states that “Category Two support is subject to district- or library system-wide budgets as set forth in 47 CFR § 54.502.”
Comments to the FCC’s draft ESL are due on August 20, 2020, and reply comments are due September 4. The FY2021 draft Eligible Services List may be found here
