Federal Communications Commission DA 26-415 DA 26-415 Released: April 28, 2026 2026-2027 ALLOCATIONS FOR THE NATIONAL DEAF-BLIND EQUIPMENT DISTRIBUTION PROGRAM CG Docket No. 10-210 Under the National Deaf-Blind Equipment Distribution Program (NDBEDP), also called “iCanConnect,” the Federal Communications Commission (FCC or Commission) may provide up to $10 million annually from the interstate Telecommunications Relay Service fund (TRS Fund) to support local programs that distribute equipment to eligible low-income individuals who are deafblind, so that these individuals can access telecommunications service, Internet access service, and advanced communications services. 47 U.S.C. § 620; see also 47 CFR §§ 64.6201-64.6219; Implementation of the Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2010, Section 105, Relay Services for Deaf-Blind Individuals, CG Docket No. 10-210, Report and Order, 31 FCC Rcd 9178 (2016) (NDBEDP Permanent Program Order). By this notice, the Commission’s Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau (CGB) announces the funding allocations for the NDBEDP for 2026-2027. The fund year for the NDBEDP runs from July 1 through June 30 of the following year, which coincides with the TRS Fund year. See generally 47 CFR § 64.604(c)(5)(iii)(H). As directed by the NDBEDP Permanent Program Order, for 2026-2027, CGB will set aside $250,000 for national outreach efforts to be conducted by the Perkins School for the Blind (Perkins). See NDBEDP Permanent Program Order, 31 FCC Rcd at 9236-37, 9242, paras. 135, 149 (selecting Perkins as the national outreach entity beginning July 1, 2017, through June 30, 2022). On May 5, 2022, CGB extended Perkins’s national outreach efforts for an additional five-year period ending June 30, 2027. Letter from Jackie Ellington, NDBEDP Administrator, CGB, FCC, to Marcia Brooks, Perkins School for the Blind at 1 (May 5, 2022) (on file in CG Docket No. 10-210), https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DOC-383038A1.pdf. In addition, pursuant to that order, CGB will set aside $150,000 towards the maintenance of the centralized database used by certified programs for reporting and reimbursement purposes. See NDBEDP Permanent Program Order, 31 FCC Rcd at 9242, 9250-51, paras. 149, 169 (authorizing CGB to allocate an amount necessary from the $10 million available annually from the TRS Fund for the NDBEDP for the development and maintenance of the centralized database); 47 CFR § 64.6205 (directing CGB to designate an NDBEDP Administrator to determine annual funding allocations and reallocations). The remaining $9,600,000 of funding for 2026-2027 will be used to reimburse certified programs for the cost of equipment and authorized related services, up to each certified program’s funding allocation. See 47 CFR § 64.6213. Pursuant to the NDBEDP Permanent Program Order, initial funding allocations for 2026-2027 are calculated by providing a minimum base amount of $50,000 for each jurisdiction plus a portion of the remaining available funding in an amount proportionate to the population of that jurisdiction. NDBEDP Permanent Program Order, 31 FCC Rcd at 9242, para. 149. CGB reminds certified entities that the below amounts are intended to serve as initial allocations only. To maximize available funds under the NDBEDP, CGB may make (1) voluntary reallocations between certified programs at any time during the TRS fund year, and (2) involuntary reallocations when individual program performance indicates that NDBEDP funds could be more fully utilized by other certified programs. NDBEDP Permanent Program Order, 31 FCC Rcd at 9244, para. 153. The initial allocations for the 56 covered jurisdictions are as follows: Population figures for these calculations are derived from U.S. Census data. See U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for the United States, Regions, States, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2025 (NST-EST2025-POP), https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/tables/2020-2025/state/totals/NST-EST2025-POP.xlsx (accessed Feb. 27, 2026); The following tables are updated every ten years. U.S. Census Bureau, Table 1. Population of Guam: 2010 and 2020, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial/2020/data/island-areas/guam/population-and-housing-unit-counts/guam-phc-table01.pdf (Oct. 28, 2021); U.S. Census Bureau, Table 1. Population of Guam: 2010 and 2020, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial/2020/data/island-areas/american-samoa/population-and-housing-unit-counts/american-samoa-phc-table01.pdf (Oct. 28, 2021); U.S. Census Bureau, Table 1. Population of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands: 2010 and 2020, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial/2020/data/island-areas/commonwealth-of-the-northern-mariana-islands/population-and-housing-unit-counts/commonwealth-northern-mariana-islands-phc-table01.pdf (Oct. 28, 2021); U.S. Census Bureau, Table 1. Population of the United States Virgin Islands: 2010 and 2020, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial/2020/data/island-areas/us-virgin-islands/population-and-housing-unit-counts/us-virgin-islands-phc-table01.pdf (Oct. 28, 2021). State NDBEDP Certified Program 2026-2027 Alabama Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind $ 152,265 Alaska Helen Keller National Center for DeafBlind Youth and Adults $ 64,519 Arizona Perkins School for the Blind $ 200,133 Arkansas Perkins School for the Blind $ 111,338 California To Be Determined The entity certified under the NDBEDP for the state of California will be relinquishing its certification effective June 30, 2026. The Commission is currently soliciting applications from entities interested in being certified to provide equipment and related services under the NDBEDP to eligible individuals in California from July 1, 2026 until June 30, 2027. Applications for National Deaf-Blind Equipment Distribution Certification for California Due May 5, 2026, CG Docket No. 10-210, Public Notice, DA 26-317 (CGB 2026), https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DA-26-332A1.pdf. $ 825,008 Colorado Colorado Commission for the Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and DeafBlind $ 168,403 Connecticut Connecticut Tech Act Project $ 122,636 Delaware University of Delaware – Center for Disabilities Studies $ 70,873 Florida Helen Keller National Center for DeafBlind Youth and Adults $ 512,037 Georgia Georgia Center of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing $ 272,580 Hawaii Helen Keller National Center for DeafBlind Youth and Adults $ 78,216 Idaho University of Idaho – Center on Disabilities and Human Development $ 89,971 Illinois Lester and Rosalie Anixter Center (Chicago Hearing Society) $ 300,473 Indiana Perkins School for the Blind $ 187,323 Iowa Helen Keller National Center for DeafBlind Youth and Adults $ 113,772 Kansas Assistive Technology for Kansans $ 108,629 Kentucky Helen Keller National Center for DeafBlind Youth and Adults $ 140,721 Louisiana Affiliated Blind of Louisiana Training Center $ 140,944 Maine Perkins School for the Blind $ 77,862 Maryland Perkins School for the Blind $ 173,381 Massachusetts Perkins School for the Blind $ 190,882 Michigan Perkins School for the Blind $ 249,444 Minnesota Perkins School for the Blind $ 164,816 Mississippi Perkins School for the Blind $ 108,175 Missouri Missouri Assistive Technology $ 173,483 Montana Perkins School for the Blind $ 72,542 Nebraska Nebraska Assistive Technology Partnership $ 89,740 Nevada Perkins School for the Blind $ 114,635 New Hampshire Northeast Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services, Inc. $ 77,872 New Jersey New Jersey Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired $ 238,029 New Mexico Perkins School for the Blind $ 91,857 New York Helen Keller National Center for DeafBlind Youth and Adults $ 443,899 North Carolina North Carolina Division of Services for the Deaf and the Hard of Hearing $ 270,517 North Dakota North Dakota Assistive $ 65,741 Ohio Perkins School for the Blind $ 284,352 Oklahoma Oklahoma Department of Rehabilitation Services $ 131,198 Oregon Access Technologies, Inc. $ 134,158 Pennsylvania Institute on Disabilities – Temple University $ 307,174 Rhode Island Perkins School for the Blind $ 71,948 South Carolina Perkins School for the Blind $ 159,693 South Dakota South Dakota Department of Human Services $ 68,414 Tennessee Tennessee Public Utility Commission $ 194,053 Texas Perkins School for the Blind $ 674,448 Utah Perkins School for the Blind $ 119,690 Vermont Perkins School for the Blind $ 62,695 Virginia Perkins School for the Blind $ 224,872 Washington Perkins School for the Blind $ 207,561 West Virginia Perkins School for the Blind $ 84,780 Wisconsin Wisconsin Bureau of Aging and Disability Resources $ 167,620 Wyoming Wyoming Institute for Disabilities – University of Wyoming $ 61,594 Other Jurisdictions NDBEDP Certified Program   2026-2027 District of Columbia TCS Access $ 63,660 American Samoa Helen Keller National Center for DeafBlind Youth and Adults $ 50,979 Guam Helen Keller National Center for DeafBlind Youth and Adults $ 53,029 Northern Mariana Islands Helen Keller National Center for DeafBlind Youth and Adults $ 50,932 Puerto Rico Perkins School for the Blind $ 112,718 U.S. Virgin Islands Perkins School for the Blind $ 51,716 Subtotal $9,600,000 National Outreach $250,000 Centralized Database Maintenance $150,000 Total $10,000,000 ACCESSIBLE FORMATS: To request materials in accessible formats for people with disabilities (Braille, large print, electronic files, audio format), send an e-mail to fcc504@fcc.gov or call the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau at 202-418-0530. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: For more information about NDBEDP, visit www.fcc.gov/ndbedp or www.iCanConnect.org, or contact Jackie Ellington, Disability Rights Office, Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau, at (202) 418-1153 or NDBEDP@fcc.gov or Jackie.Ellington@fcc.gov. Individuals who use videophones and are fluent in ASL may call the FCC’s ASL Consumer Support Line at (844) 432-2275 (videophone). 2