How the FCC Will Help Schools and Libraries Bridge the Digital Divide

This week, the Federal Communications Commission adopted rules for the Emergency Connectivity Fund Program, providing $7.171 billion for schools and libraries for the purchase of connected devices and broadband connections for use by students, school staff, and library patrons at locations other than a school or library. Notably, the Emergency Connectivity Fund Program is separate from the E-Rate Program, which, since its creation in the Telecommunications Act of 1996, has provided funding for broadband services delivered to and within schools and libraries. In the interest of efficiency and simplicity, however, the goals and measures, rules, and processes for the Emergency Connectivity Fund Program leverage the FCC's experience administrating the E-Rate Program. 

The support provided through the Emergency Connectivity Fund Program will first allow eligible schools and libraries to seek funding for upcoming purchases of eligible equipment, including Wi-Fi hotspots, modems, routers, and connected devices, as well as advanced telecommunications and information services, to meet the remote learning needs of students, school staff, and library patrons who would otherwise lack access to connected devices and broadband connections sufficient to engage in remote learning during the upcoming school year. If additional funding remains available after the provision of support to eligible schools and libraries for future purchases of eligible equipment and services, the FCC will provide schools and libraries an opportunity to apply for reimbursement of the reasonable costs they have already incurred in purchasing eligible equipment and services to meet the unmet needs of their students, school staff, and library patrons who otherwise lacked access to equipment or internet access services sufficient to engage in remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic.