Since its inception in 1997, the Schools and Libraries Program of the Federal Communications Commission's Universal Service Fund, more commonly known as E-Rate, has committed more than $30 billion to offset the cost of certain digital and telecommunication services and products that are essential for schools and libraries to receive communications. While E-Rate funding was originally capped at $2.25 billion annually, the FCC made the decision this year to increase the amount each year to accommodate the rate of inflation. In an atmosphere and economic era in which requests for E-Rate funding are more than double the amount available each year, applicants must be persistent when it comes to requesting money from the FCC. Applicants may feel helpless in the face of a demand that is nearly twice the allotted funding, but they can and should know how to plan and prepare their application in a way that increases their likelihood of receiving funding. To navigate the program and avoid costly funding delays or denials, applicants will need to accept that, while E-Rate is unlikely to go away, the program is always changing--and in ways that can be frustrating. The author offers some guidance on how to approach E-Rate applications in order to increase the chances of receiving funds.