E-rate/Schools and Libraries Program
![](https://www.benton.org/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/public/benton_2_76.png?itok=wWBg46bA)
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.
![](https://www.benton.org/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/public/fcc-official-logo-tn_315.jpg?itok=-WLD2X3I)
FCC to Launch $7.17 Billion Connectivity Fund Program
The Federal Communications Commission unanimously adopted final rules to implement the Emergency Connectivity Fund Program. This $7.17 billion program, funded by the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, will enable schools and libraries to purchase laptop and tablet computers, Wi-Fi hotspots, and broadband connectivity for students, school staff, and library patrons in need during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Report and Order establishes the rules and policies governing the Emergency Connectivity Fund Program.
How the homework gap may actually be the key to solving our digital divide
Beyond supporting students, information being collected by schools across the country could prove useful when addressing the problem of the digital divide. The work to close the so-called homework gap, exacerbated when the coronavirus pandemic shut down schools and forced 50 million students to suddenly adopt remote learning, could also provide the federal and state governments a roadmap toward fixing the broader digital divide problem. The homework gap is a subset of a much larger d
![](https://www.benton.org/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/public/benton_2_74.png?itok=SYIP25G_)
Digital Inclusion Week Indeed
In the coming days, we will see major progress on a $10+ billion federal investment in digital inclusion. This moment is unprecedented. We've never seen such a large commitment to making broadband service affordable for all. And, as Congress starts to focus on long-term solutions for universal broadband, we're seeing the potential for more digital inclusion investment in the coming months.
Homework gap: The digital divide crisis leaves millions of kids behind
The digital divide and the homework gap haven't gone away, even with new attention and funding directed toward emergency relief.
‘I Used to Like School’: An 11-Year-Old’s Struggle With Pandemic Learning
By one estimate, three million students nationwide, roughly the school-age population of Florida, stopped going to classes, virtual or in person, after the pandemic began.
Some kids never logged on to remote school. Now what?
Thousands of Connecticut’s students did not log onto remote classes, even after the state allotted tens of millions of federal aid dollars for its ambitious remote learning program. Many families didn’t take advantage of subsidized internet.
![](https://www.benton.org/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/public/benton_2_70.png?itok=FUk-KrUf)
Show Us the Money: Federal Broadband Support During the COVID-19 Pandemic
A number of readers have reached out to us at Benton asking for help figuring out where to find all the pools of broadband support appropriated by Congress over the past year. So we've decided to create this placeholder for all the funding we've seen in the CARES Act, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, and the American Rescue Plan.
![](https://www.benton.org/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/public/shlb-logo_20.png?itok=Fl2CXCfA)
Creating an Emergency Connectivity Fund to Outlast the Pandemic
The recently-approved American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) allocated $7.171 billion to a new Emergency Connectivity Fund (ECF), an historic expansion of the E-rate program to connect students, teachers, and library patrons who lack home broadband access.
![](https://www.benton.org/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/public/carr_mic_5.jpg?itok=aMgeVpZN)
FCC Commissioner Carr Wants Chairman Rosenworcel to Publish E-Rate Plans Ahead of Vote
Federal Communications Commissioner Brendan Carr is urging Acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel to publicly release the draft text of a forthcoming proposal allocating $7.1 billion in pandemic relief subsidies for distance learning. Commissioner Carr says she should publish it before commissioners vote on the item to make it easier to coordinate with the Departments of Education and Treasury on broadband spending, which he sees as a matter of good governance with taxpayer money.