The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced today that it is committing more than $361 million in the latest wave of funding for the Emergency Connectivity Fund program, bringing the program’s total funding to nearly $4.2 billion.
In a press release, the FCC said this round of funding commitments will support 802 schools, 49 libraries, and eight consortia, which are approved to receive nearly 654,000 connected devices and over 313,000 broadband connections.
“Today’s funding announcement will provide 700,000 more schoolchildren with the digital tools they need to connect with teachers and classmates,” said FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel. “The Emergency Connectivity Fund is the single largest effort to close the Homework Gap by bringing connectivity and devices to students and library patrons. The need for this support is apparent in both rural and urban America, and I’m pleased to note that with this funding, we are supporting communities stretching from Aniak, Alaska to New York City.”
The seventh wave of funding can be used to support off-campus learning, such as nightly homework and virtual learning, to ensure students across the country have the necessary support to keep up with their education. The program supports more than 9,800 schools, 800 libraries, and 100 consortia and provides more than 8.9 million connected devices and more than 4.7 million broadband connections.
