Straight answers on the data, the E-rate rules that apply to you, and your account.
Numbers as of , USAC data of .
From USAC’s public E-rate records on opendata.usac.org: Form 470 bid requests, the services requested on them, Form 471 funding requests, and the service provider registry. Offices are placed with the US Census geocoder. Every line in your list links to the USAC row it came from.
USAC reloads these datasets daily, and a new Form 470 shows up about a day after the school certifies it. Every list and page shows the USAC data date it was built on. The numbers on this site use USAC’s load of November 7, 2026, 10:40 UTC.
Source: USAC Open Data dataset metadata (licence, attribution, update frequency), read Refresh times per dataset →
In an independent check on November 6, 2026, 661 of 661 claims in 30 random findings matched live USAC records. 45 more were re-read field by field against raw USAC records in a separate AI-agent run that used none of our engine’s code, and the final draw passed 15 of 15. Every finding is also re-checked against the raw USAC rows before it is shown: 0 of the 778 open bids in the current data failed that check. When a form contradicts itself, we leave the number out instead of guessing.
No. The bid count is what the school reported on its last Form 471 for that kind of request; USAC marks this data as self-reported by applicants. The new request may cover different equipment. Read it as context, not as a weak spot. Of the 708 open bids with a usable last request, 125 (18%) reported a single bid.
Source: USAC Open Data dataset metadata (licence, attribution, update frequency), read
No. The allowable contract date is the first day the school may sign a contract. USAC makes schools wait at least 28 days after certifying the Form 470 before they close bidding, but the due date for bids is set in the 470 or its RFP. Open the 470 from our link before you bid.
Source: USAC, “Step 2: Competitive Bidding”, read The allowable contract date, explained →
No. We show only the structured fields of the Form 470 and link to it, and we never summarise an RFP. When we last tested on November 7, 2026, USAC’s RFP file links returned a redirect to usac.org instead of the file. Open the RFP from USAC’s Form 470 Download Tool or EPC before you bid.
Source: a USAC RFP file link (Form 470 #270002337), read
USAC data covers every state. The current data has 778 open network bids nationally, the most in IL 90, MI 72, OH 62, CA 58, TX 58 and WI 54. We launch in IL, IN, MI, MO, OH and WI, where the median 60-mile area around a provider office has between 8 (IN) and 19 (IL) open network bids.
It uses the same public USAC data, and nothing in it is exclusive: other paid tools show award history too (EduTek’s page lists “Every competitor's award history.”). What erateradar does is join each open network bid to that buyer’s last request (bids reported, provider chosen, pre-discount cost, USAC status), link every fact to its USAC row, and send one list for your 60-mile radius every Monday, priced per territory.
Source: EduTek, “For Service Providers”, read Form 470 tools compared, with prices →
Reading open Form 470s is what the program expects: USAC’s guide for service providers lists three ways to search them. The rules are about how you approach the school. Don’t prepare, sign or give input on the school’s 470 or RFP. Keep gifts within $20 per item and $50 per person from one source per funding year. Send your bid, and only questions you need answered to bid, to the contact the 470 names; USAC says requests “should not be generic emails or other communications soliciting business”. We contact no schools, write no 470s and submit no bids. erateradar is not affiliated with USAC or the FCC.
Source: USAC, “Step 2: Respond to Applicant Bid Requests”, read Source: USAC, “Gift Rules”, read The three rules, quoted from USAC →
Yes. USAC publishes these datasets under a Public Domain licence, and a Form 470 exists so providers can find it and bid. E-rate rules still apply to how you bid (see the question above).
Source: USAC Open Data dataset metadata (licence, attribution, update frequency), read
No. We don’t contact schools, USAC or other providers, and we never show your territory or searches to anyone outside your account and the people who run erateradar.
To look, no. To bid, you can start without one, but you need a SPIN (498 ID) before USAC will commit funds to you. USAC: “Service providers that have not yet completed an FCC Form 498 can still submit bids, but USAC is unable to make funding commitments without a completed FCC Form 498.” You get it by filing FCC Form 498 in USAC’s E-File, after a SAM.gov UEI and an FCC Registration Number. USAC says SAM.gov’s activation of the UEI “can take 4-6 weeks after the SAM.gov registration is completed”, so start early.
Source: USAC, “Step 1: Obtain a 498 ID/SPIN”, read Source: USAC, “SAM.gov UEI Requirement”, read How to become an E-rate vendor →
USAC’s site banner, checked November 7, 2026: “USAC remains open during the government shutdown with our staff and customer support centers maintaining regular business hours. At this time, USAC cannot commit or disburse funds.” Schools are still posting bids: the current data has 778 open network bids. We don’t predict when funds will be committed or paid.
Source: usac.org (site banner), read
No. erateradar is built by Helios One, an independent company, and is not affiliated with USAC or the FCC. We read USAC’s public records and link every fact back to them.
The 14-day trial needs no card, so there is nothing to cancel. If it ends without a plan, exports lock and the weekly email stops; the latest list stays readable. A paid plan can be cancelled any time and runs to the end of the period you paid for.
We use them to build and send your list and to run your account. We record how the site and app are used, including full session replays, so we can fix problems. A replay includes what you type into fields like ZIP and email and the network requests the page makes; passwords, sign-in codes and other secret fields are masked. We don’t sell your data, and we never show your territory or searches to other customers.
Book a call with a person, or read where the data comes from and security & privacy.