FCC Commits Another $1.1 Billion from Emergency Connectivity Fund

The Federal Communications Commission announced that it is committing $1,159,681,350.34 for 2,471 schools, 205 libraries, and 26 consortia 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. The FCC to date has committed $2,362,788,847.22 in program funding to school and library applicants, and exceeded its goal of responding to 50 percent of all applications within 60 days of the closing of the first filing window by making funding decisions for nearly 60 percent of applications. In September 2021, the FCC announced that it was committing $1,203,107,496.88 in Emergency Connectivity Fund support that can be used for the purchase of laptops and tablets, Wi-Fi hotspots, modems, routers, and broadband connections for use by students, school staff, and library patrons in need. The funding 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 8 million students the devices and internet connections they need. A second application filing window opened on September 28 and will close on October 13 at 11:59 pm EST.