According to a research survey from the Pew Research Center, nearly half of parents surveyed said their child faced technology-related obstacles causing them to fall behind their peers with proper broadband connectivity and technology access. Students who lacked these necessities for remote learning experienced what is often called the “homework gap,” which impact may continue to be felt in the future.
To help schools and libraries close this homework gap, the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) introduced the Emergency Connectivity Fund (ECF). The ECF is a $7.17 billion program to help schools and libraries provide the tools and services their communities need for remote learning during the COVID-19 emergency period. The FCC has committed more than $3.22 billion in program funding to support over 6,954 schools, 613 libraries, and 80 consortia, which are approved to receive over 6.8 million connected devices and over 3.5 million broadband connections.
MeriTalk is looking back at the different waves of funding the ECF provided to schools and libraries across the United States during this pandemic.
The first wave of funding a total of $1,203,107,496.88 came in Sept. 24, ensuring that more than 3.6 million students received access to broadband and devices needed to engage in off-campus learning. The states that received the most funding in this round are:
- New York: $243,117,570.99
- Texas: $97,168,264.86
- California: $71,046,764.80
- Florida: $59,168,449.55
- Georgia: $56,405,064.31
The second wave of funding a total of $1,159,681,350.34 came in Oct. 12, which went to 2,471 schools, 205 libraries, and 26 consortia to purchase more than 2.4 million devices and 1.9 million broadband connections. The states that received the most funding in this round are:
- New York: $ 158,133,685.00
- Illinois: $118,011,958.62
- Texas: $117,857,717.21
- California: $78,053,161.56
- Michigan: $53,458,259.30
Wave three of ECF funding was a total of $269,406,274.94 bring the total of connected students to over eight million students. The states that received the most funding in this round are:
- California: $46,662,189.72
- Texas: $29,126,141.58
- Massachusetts: $15,754,162.37
- New Jersey: $14,087,316.56
- Florida: $12,634,521.69
The fourth wave of funding a total of $421,458,497.55 came in early November, bringing total program commitments to over $3.05 billion and 10 million students connected. The states that received the most funding in this round are:
- California: $91,911,566.41
- Puerto Rico: $76,775,111.71
- Texas: $52,546,574.37
- Georgia: $26,181,683.08
- New Mexico: $17,671,846.46
The fifth wave of funding, also the smallest, was a total of $169,297,501.79 which came on Nov. 23. This latest round of funding supported 492 schools, 70 libraries, and 10 consortia, which are approved to receive over 380,000 connected devices, and more than 135,000 broadband connections. The states that received the most funding in this round are:
- California: $25,550,373.57
- Florida: $23,239,971.52
- Texas: $11,491,521.67
- Idaho: $11,048,215.05
- Minnesota: $10,865,203.54
