FCC Commits Over $2.5M in Funding for Schools and Libraries
WASHINGTON — The Federal Communications Commission on Wednesday announced it is committing over $2.5 million in a new funding round through the Emergency Connectivity Fund Program, which provides digital services for students in communities across the country.
In a press release announcing the funding, the commission said the commitment supports applications from all three application windows, benefiting approximately 8,000 students across the country, including students in Arizona, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, North Dakota and Texas.
“Today’s funding round is another step in providing students the online access they need to connect with their teachers and keep up with schoolwork,” Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said in a statement.
“This program is an important tool in our ongoing work to close the Homework Gap.”
The FCC’s Emergency Connectivity Fund is a $7.171 billion program aimed at helping schools and libraries provide the tools and services their communities need for remote learning. The program, which launched in 2021, has provided schools and libraries three different “application windows” to apply for support.
Wednesday’s announcement will support approximately 15 schools, one library and one consortium. Of the over $6.6 billion in funding commitments approved to date, approximately $4.14 billion is supporting applications from Window 1; $834 million from Window 2; and $1.66 billion from Window 3.
The funding can be used to support off-campus learning, such as nightly homework, to ensure students across the country have the necessary support to keep up with their education. To date, the program has provided support to approximately 11,000 schools, 1,000 libraries and 100 consortia.
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