2025 E-Rate Wi-Fi Hot Spots/Hot Spot Service

Starting with the 2025/2026 E-Rate funding year (July 1, 2025 – June 30, 2026), the FCC and USAC have made Wi-Fi hotspots and mobile wireless internet services eligible for E-Rate support for off-premise use. The final Order can be found here.

Eligible Recipients:

• Wi-Fi hotspots are intended to be loaned to students, school staff, and library patrons who don’t have sufficient internet access at home (or other off-campus locations) for educational purposes.
• Head Start, Pre-K, and Kindergarten students are not eligible for E-Rate funded hotspots.
• Applicants should be ready to explain how they complied with all program rules, including making sure the
• Wi-Fi hotspots are being used for primarily educational purposes.

Hotspot Eligibility:

• Wi-Fi hotpots are eligible as Category 1 network equipment.
• Wi-Fi hotpot funding will be limited to a fixed 3-year budget cycle. This first cycle will run from 2025-2027.
• All off-premise equipment and services will be prioritized after traditional on-premise Cat 1 and Cat 2 equipment and services are funded.
• Wi-Fi hotspots should provide Wi-Fi connectivity to a hotspot user as its sole functionality.
• Wi-Fi hotspots must be portable.
• Wi-Fi hotspots must be a single device.
• Wi-Fi hotspots must be for use with a commercially available mobile wireless internet service.
• Each Wi-Fi hotspot must be associated with a line of service for the respective funding year.

Hotspot Ineligibility:

• Multi-functional devices such as smartphones, PCs, notebooks, tablets, routers, switches, wireless access points, and customer premises equipment are not eligible.
• Wireless services delivered to any broadband-enabled end user devices such as laptops and tablets are not eligible. Wi-Fi hotspots for future use (ie: to be stored in case of loss/breakage/emergency) are not eligible.
• 1:1 Wi-Fi hotspot initiatives (ie: to fund hotspots for all 9th graders).

Funding Caps:

• The pre-discount funding cap for wireless internet service is $15/month per line. The pre-discount funding for Wi-Fi hotspots is $90 per hotspot device.
• Taxes are not included in this capped amount. While activation and configuration are included.

Budgets:

• Each applicant will have a three-year, pre-discount budget (hotspots and service combined).
• Applicants may not request more than 45% of their 3-year budget in any one year.
• The first budget cycle will be for Funding Year 2025 – 2027.
• Calculating your W-Fi hotspot Budget for the 2025-2027 Cycle: (the maximum pre-discount funding permitted for Wi-Fi hotspots and services over the 3-year budget)
  • School/District budget = [Student Count X (20 hotspots/100 students) X Cat 1 discount rate] X $630
    • Wi-Fi services and hotspot budgets are calculated by multiplying student count by 20% and multiplying by the Cat 1 discount rate. This number is then rounded up to the nearest ten. The applicant then multiples that rounded number by $630 to determine their 3-year pre-discount budget.
    • Example (school with 500 students and a 40% discount rate):
      • $25,200
        • [500 students X (20 hotspots/100 students) x .4] x $630 = $25,200
  • Library and Library system budgets = [sq ft x (5.5 hotspots/1000 sq ft) x Cat 1 discount rate] x $630
    
    • Wi-Fi services and hotspot budgets are calculated by multiplying square footage, allowing 5.5 devices per 1,000 sq ft, then multiplying that by your Cat 1 discount rate. This number is rounded up to the nearest ten, then multiplied by $630 to determine their 3-year pre-discount budget.
    • Example (library with 100,000 sq ft and a 90% discount rate):
      • $315,000
        • [100,000 sq ft X (5.5 hotspots/1,000 sq ft) x .9] x $630 = $315,000

Requirements:

• Applicants must follow E-Rate competitive bidding rules.
• Applicants will need to publicize the availability of the products/services.
• CIPA compliance is required.
• All applicants must have an Acceptable Use Policy.
  • This policy must clearly state that off campus use is primarily used for educational purposes.
  • Schools – the policy must state that the use must be “integral, immediate, and proximate to the education of students.”
  • Libraries – the policy must state that the use must be “integral, immediate, and proximate to the provision of library services to library patrons.”
• Applicants must provide public notice and post the updated Acceptable Use Policy.
• Applicants are also expected to implement content and user network restrictions consistent with the restrictions on their building-based networks, and to adopt/update the Acceptable Use Policy and other polices to limit access.
• Recordkeeping
• Schools, asset inventory must include:
  • Equipment make/model
  • Equipment serial number
  • Full name of the person to whom the equipment was provided
  • The dates the equipment was loaned out and returned, or the date the school was notified the equipment was missing, lost or damaged
  • Service details
• Libraries, asset inventory must include:
  • Equipment make/model
  • Equipment serial number
  • The dates the equipment was loaned out and returned, or the date the school was notified the equipment was missing, lost or damaged
  • Service details
• Usage Requirements:
  • Lines with 3 months of no service must be terminated by the service provider
  • Service providers are required to notify applicants of each line that goes unused for 60 consecutive days and the applicant has 30 days to address this. Otherwise, the line will be terminated.
  • Applicants cannot request spare hotspots and store hotspots for future use.
  • All hardware must be associated with a line of service.

If you want to apply for Wi-Fi Hotspots or if you have any questions please feel free to contact us at info@erateadvantage.com.