On Tuesday, the application window is open for the $7.17 billion Emergency Connectivity Fund. Schools and libraries can apply for financial support to buy laptops and tablets, WiFi hotspots, modems, routers, and broadband connections to serve unmet needs for off-campus use by students, school staff, and library patrons. Up to August 13, eligible schools and libraries can submit requests for funding to purchase eligible equipment and services for the 2021-22 school year.
The program is the latest agency effort to close the homework gap. “Of all the memories and images of the past months, the one that keeps coming back to me is a viral picture of two young girls sitting outside a Taco Bell,” said FCC Acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel. “They were sitting cross-legged on the ground with laptops on their knees, using the free WiFi from the restaurant to do their schoolwork. It was heart-wrenching to see.”
But, Rosenworcel added, they were not alone. “Kids elsewhere during this pandemic sat in cars outside of libraries to catch a signal to go online for class. Others cobbled together the connectivity they needed by doing everything from borrowing mobile phones to lingering outside of shuttered school and municipal buildings. We should salute the grit of each and every one of these young people who found ways to go online and keep up with school. But it shouldn’t be this hard—and going forward, thanks to the Emergency Connectivity Fund, it won’t,” said Rosenworcel.
The American Rescue Plan of 2021 established the Emergency Connectivity Fund. In May, the FCC adopted the Report and Order outlining how the program would be administered. The Universal Service Administrative Company will administer the program with FCC oversight. The fund is similar to the agency’s E-Rate program for the benefit of schools and libraries already familiar with that program. Find more information about the program at www.emergencyconnectivityfund.org or www.fcc.gov/emergency-connectivity-fund. Instructions on how to apply are here.
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