USAC has released further guidance on updating your Category 2 budget to reflect increased student enrollment. If you wish to modify your budget you must make a specific request to USAC. It will not happen automatically. Having said that, adjusting your budget is an optional procedure. This only applies to you if your overall enrollment has increased and you wish to thereby increase your five-year Category 2 budget. You do not need to report any instance where your enrollment has dropped - that is the beauty of a fixed budget. *Per USAC's News Brief from yesterday:* Adjusting the Category Two Budget The current five-year Category Two (C2) budget cycle began in FY2021 and goes through FY2025. Your C2 budget is determined when the first C2 FCC Form 471 in the budget cycle is certified. In the event that your student count has increased, you may request to update your C2 budget in any subsequent year of the budget cycle, but you are not required to do so. Libraries may also update their square footage information if it should increase. This update based on the new student count is referred to as a “replacement C2 budget” request by USAC. You can request to update your C2 budget in EPC during the EPC administrative window and during the FCC Form 471 application filing window up until the budgeted entity’s first C2 FCC Form 471 application for that funding year is certified. If you do not request an adjustment, the C2 budget will remain fixed. The Administrative Window webinar slides <https://click.outreach.usac.org/?qs=9fd90970bb0fe3b61ca199d0c907eb712554fb3e269284da338d77ebcdc8ebe89ce4826c98d0dbc1f485041b85ccb95fb67066f32eab3c18> provide information on how to request an update for a C2 budget in EPC. We also have a short video <https://click.outreach.usac.org/?qs=9fd90970bb0fe3b63ff5b411ccad72b2183fca6e34ae097a0a9dd390285cef1156616b1a4851d67ed527e4456939745cfeab6544a7b0db09> that demonstrates the process. Go to the C2 Budget <https://click.outreach.usac.org/?qs=9fd90970bb0fe3b6a9ebf9b094145a057cb058e3f9b1f6bb1f815596d07050e20799d170280f06aece61db7afd9f0d2717c0003529b3cc0a> page to learn more. The new Category Two (C2) budget tool <https://click.outreach.usac.org/?qs=9fd90970bb0fe3b6fbadf3bf3de7a8a34ec7fa8e21c72eba8095a2a34c4a93ad40cab45021e72c885870e4718b3a939e234e1912a4f82a71> provides data on the FY2021-FY2025 C2 budget cycle if you want to view your C2 budget information. It is available on the Tools <https://click.outreach.usac.org/?qs=f992463ab4c420ef4ee08c1e96f8f53f8b0393fe9344ace241889f2b64c69b44a1b7e5b82324c04143aa92440a46cbc4cd5bb9bf37919300> page along with a video <https://click.outreach.usac.org/?qs=f992463ab4c420ef903748235d72f523feb3a03669cfcf9aa239b65598a5f7251d30cc68e70ff544d327fd66f612290870b06ac7fec7f33f>on how to use the tool. The big takeaway here is that *if you do not specifically request a recalculation, the C2 budget student count remains fixed throughout the cycle even if you update the enrollment numbers*. The attached guide on updating your EPC profile during the Administrative Window has been modified to include steps for completing the process of requesting a replacement Category 2 budget. We still do not know the date the window will close and profiles will lock, but I suspect that it will be early to mid-January. Again, this is an optional procedure but it is one that you may want to take advantage of if in fact your enrollment has increased. Contact me directly by email if you have any questions. Please do not reply to this specific email as your reply message will go to the mailing list. I will be on vacation through January 2 so it may take me a few days to see your email and respond but rest assured that I will do so! Hope everyone has a happy and safe holiday season. _________________________________________________ Anne Perloff Maine State E-Rate Coordinator for Schools Networkmaine, University of Maine System US:IT Web: erate.networkmaine.net Email: [log in to unmask] Phone: 207-581-3584 Mail: Networkmaine 5752 Neville Hall, Room 255 Orono, ME 04469-5752