Schools/Universities

The Federal Communications Commission and the US Treasury Department are giving schools a tremendous opportunity to close both the homework gap and the healthcare gap.

Schools and libraries have until 11:59 pm Eastern Standard Time (EST) on August 13 to complete their applications for the Federal Communications Commission's Emergency Connectivity Fund. The program is designed to help close the digital divide by providing schools and libraries with funds to pay for the purchase of laptops and tablets, Wi-Fi hotspots, modems, routers, and broadband connections for off-campus use by students, and school staff, as well as library patrons, and is available to support off-campus learning.

Verizon is doubling down on its commitment to help ensure no student is left behind, providing education technology resources in support of digital inclusion with a number of initiatives to integrate immersive STEM technology into classrooms and communities. This includes:

As the conditions of students without home broadband access or a device mirror the broad systemic inequalities of the US, Congress must do more than offer piecemeal funding to connect K-12 students to the internet.

In schools with 1-to-1 device programs, students have access to a wider and deeper range of learning resources. Around the nation, virtual learning needs spurred rapid adoption of 1-to-1 policies across K-12 education. While the final numbers on device adoption aren’t in yet, “There’s clearly been a huge effort to secure more devices,” says Keith Krueger, CEO of the nonprofit Consortium for School Networking.

Sen Edward Markey (D-MA), Sen Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), and Rep Grace Meng (D-NY) introduced the Securing Universal Communications Connectivity to Ensure Students Succeed (SUCCESS) Act to build on the Emergency Connectivity Fund created under the American Rescue Plan and provide schools and libraries with $8 billion a year over five years -- for a total of $40 billion -- to continue to provide Wi-Fi hotspots, modems, routers, and internet-enabled devices to students, staff, and library patrons following the coronavirus

The Wireline Competition Bureau established June 30, 2022 as the service delivery date for equipment and other non-recurring services funding requests filed during the initial application filing window of the Emergency Connectivity Fund Program, if the equipment or services have not been received at the time the funding request is made.

For the children and families who don’t have reliable internet access, help has finally arrived. The Emergency Connectivity Fund, launched by the Federal Communications Commission in July 2021, is the country’s largest program ever to help students get the internet access they need at home to participate fully in virtual school.

Governor JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) announced the first cohort of grant recipients as part of the Office of Broadband Regional Engagement for Adoption and Digital Equity (READY) program. Through this first of its kind program, $200,000 has been awarded to four regional entities to accelerate progress toward eliminating the digital divide. The inaugural READY cohort is fueling local efforts in four major regions throughout Illinois, including East Central, Northern Stateline, Southeastern, and Southern Illinois.

Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are calling for steps to narrow the so-called homework gap as schools incorporate more technology into their classrooms. Ranking member of the House Communications and Technology Subcommittee Bob Latta (R-OH) said that while larger cities often have high quality broadband access, many smaller communities do not, and there is strong bipartisan support of promoting digital equity.