Over $5 Billion Requested by States in FCC’s Emergency Connectivity Fund Program
Last month, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced that the first round of filing for the Emergency Connectivity Fund Program attracted over $5 billion in requests from all 50 states, American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia. If granted, the requests would fund 9.1 million connected devices and 5.4 million broadband connections in schools and libraries in both rural and urban communities across the country.
Due to the outstanding demand and increased need caused by the spike in COVID-19 cases, the FCC will open a second filing window, running from September 28 to October 13, for the $7.17 billion Emergency Connectivity Fund Program. These requests will be considered for equipment and connections to be used during the current 2021-2022 school year.
Acting Chairwoman of the FCC Jessica Rosenworcel has emphasized that this fund, along with the Emergency Broadband Benefit Program, are crucial in investing over $10 billion in students and households to close the Homework Gap.