The FCC has made a commitment of more than $21 million in the Emergency Connectivity Fund (ECF) program. The funding will benefit about 40,000 students in the United States, with a focus on those in Georgia, Minnesota, Nevada, New York, Texas and Wisconsin.
The funding, which is from the third of three application windows, will support five school districts and three schools.
The ECF has provided connectivity and devices to aid in off-campus online activities, such as homework, during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is administered by schools and libraries and is part of the American Rescue Plan that became law in 2021.
About $6.7 billion of the total budget of $7.17 billion has been awarded. The program has provided support to more than 17 million students.
So far, approximately $4.14 billion has been awarded from Window 1, $834 million from Window 2 and $1.75 billion from Window 3. The program has supported about 11,000 schools, 1,000 libraries and 120 consortia. It has provided almost 13 million connected devices and more than 8 million broadband connections.
“With the onset of summer, and many students participating in online learning programs, we’re pleased to announce another round of funding to give kids the digital tools they need to connect with classrooms and teachers,” FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said in a press release about the FCC Emergency Connectivity Fund awards. “This program is making important progress in our ongoing work to close the Homework Gap.”
On May 31, the ECF awarded more than $15 million to support about 35,000 students in California, Delaware, Indiana, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Nebraska, New York and Pennsylvania. The funding is aimed at about 50 schools and five libraries.
Days before, the program awarded more than $12 million to support about 35,000 students with a focus on Arkansas, Connecticut, Illinois, South Carolina, Texas and Washington. The funding will support about 45 schools, five libraries and a consortia.
