The FCC is committing more than $1.1 billion to 2,471 schools, 205 libraries, and 26 other entities that applied for support from the $7.17 billion Emergency Connectivity Fund Program. Combined with the first funding wave, students, school staff and library patrons in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Virgin Islands will receive access to the devices and broadband connectivity they need to support their off-premises educational needs.
To date, the Commission has committed more than $2.3 billion in program funding to school and library applicants. The agency says it’s exceeded its goal of responding to 50 percent of all applications within 60 days of the closing of the first filing window. The agency says it made funding decisions for nearly 60 percent of applications within that time-frame.
Last month, the FCC said it was committing more than $1.2 billion in Emergency Connectivity Fund support that can be used for the purchase of laptops and tablets, WiFi hotspots, modems, routers, and broadband connections for use by students, school staff, and library patrons in need. The money can be used to support off-campus learning, such as homework and virtual learning as schools continue to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Combined with the second funding wave, the FCC is providing support for 5,420,473 devices and 2,700,834 broadband connections to support 5,474 schools, 461 libraries, and 49 consortia of schools and libraries, providing nearly eight million students the devices and internet connections.
A second application filing window opened on September 28, and will close today, October 13, at 11:59 p.m. E.T.
A state-by-state breakdown of total committed funding is here.
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