The short answer
- Form 471 line items, including the eligible cost per unit, are public on USAC Open Data. That makes it possible to see what USAC actually funded, not just list prices.
- On funded internal connections requests in FY2024 and FY2025, half of all access point lines came in between $219 and $791 a unit, and half of all switch lines between $1,300 and $4,870.
- The bands are wide because one product name covers very different gear. Use them as a sanity check on a quote, not as a price list.
The bands
Eligible one-time cost per unit, before the applicant's discount, on Form 471 line items attached to funded internal connections requests in funding years 2024 and 2025 combined.
| Product, as filed on the 471 | Lines | 25th percentile | Median | 75th percentile |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Access point | 18,136 | $219 | $529 | $791 |
| Switch | 23,790 | $1,300 | $2,904 | $4,870 |
| Firewall services and components | 3,850 | $1,484 | $3,490 | $8,171 |
| UPS / battery backup | 10,190 | $580 | $1,055 | $1,829 |
| Wireless controller | 661 | $260 | $1,290 | $6,405 |
Source: USAC Open Data, FRN Status and Form 471 line item datasets, pulled October 30, 2026. Dollar figures rounded to the nearest dollar.
FY2024 against FY2025
The two years look much alike for access points, switches and UPS units. Wireless controllers moved most, with a lower median in FY2025 on few lines.
| Product | FY2024 | FY2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Access point | $541$221 to $789 | $514$218 to $794 |
| Switch | $2,960$1,305 to $5,000 | $2,869$1,299 to $4,763 |
| Firewall services and components | $3,574$1,355 to $8,729 | $3,410$1,597 to $7,947 |
| UPS / battery backup | $1,044$561 to $1,804 | $1,074$600 to $1,863 |
| Wireless controller | $1,729$249 to $6,521 | $1,209$267 to $6,273 |
Line items per year: access points 8,863 and 9,273; switches 11,303 and 12,487; firewalls 1,820 and 2,030; UPS 4,692 and 5,498; wireless controllers 357 and 304.
How we worked it out
- From USAC's FRN Status dataset, we took every funding request for internal connections in funding years 2024 and 2025 whose current status is Funded: 27,526 requests (13,129 and 14,397). Cancelled and denied requests are left out.
- From the Form 471 line item dataset, we took the current version of every line on those requests whose product is one of the five above and whose one-time quantity is more than zero.
- For each line, the unit price is the eligible one-time cost per unit as filed, before the applicant's discount.
- Each line counts once, whatever its quantity, and the percentiles are taken across lines.
Everything here comes from public records anyone can query. No customer's price book or quote is used, here or in the app.
How to read them
- One name, many products. "Access point" on a 471 covers indoor and outdoor models from every manufacturer, and sometimes licenses or mounts filed under the same product. That is most of why the bands are wide.
- Lines, not units. A line for 2 access points counts the same as a line for 200, so the bands describe typical requests, not volume-weighted prices.
- Funded, not winning. These are the prices on requests USAC funded. They don't show the bids that lost.
- Before the discount. The applicant pays its share and E-Rate pays the rest; the figures are the full eligible price.
- Your own floor still applies. Whatever the band says, the lowest corresponding price rule means you can't charge an E-Rate applicant more than you charge similarly situated non-residential customers in your area (USAC, lowest corresponding price).
Checking a quote
A national band is a blunt tool. In E-Rate Workbench Pro, Pricing Research breaks the same funded data down by state and product class, shows any applicant's incumbent and past awards by BEN, and checks a quote against the awarded band before it goes out.
Questions providers ask
Are E-Rate prices public?
Yes. USAC publishes Form 471 line items for every request on its Open Data site, including the quantity and the eligible cost per unit. This page counts only requests that were funded.
Why is the access point range so wide?
The product name on the 471 covers everything from a small indoor access point to an outdoor model, from every manufacturer, and some applicants file licenses or mounts under the same name. A per-model comparison needs the manufacturer and model on each line, which the line item data also carries.
Do the numbers include denied or cancelled requests?
No. Only line items on funding requests whose current status is Funded are counted.
How often are these figures updated?
This page shows a pull from October 30, 2026. Inside Workbench, Pricing Research is rebuilt from USAC Open Data every week, so it moves as new commitments are made.