The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced over $266 million in two new funding rounds through the Emergency Connectivity Funding (ECF) program to help close the “homework gap” for students that don’t have access to reliable broadband service and devices.
The funding supports applications from all three of the program’s application windows, supporting over one million students across the country, including in Delaware, Maryland, Mississippi, New Mexico, New York, and Oregon.
“Thanks to the Emergency Connectivity Fund, now more students across the country have the digital tools they need to support their education,” said FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel.
“In too many communities, kids are still struggling to get the internet and devices they need to connect with teachers and do their homework. We have to fix this,” she said. “This program is helping, and I’m proud of the progress we are making to close the homework gap.”
The first and second application windows will provide over $12 million of support for about 15 schools, two libraries, and one consortium. For the third application window, the commission is committing over $254 million that will support over 400 schools, 45 libraries, and 15 consortia.
The total ECF funding committed to date is nearly $5.6 billion.
The funding can be used to support off-campus learning, such as nightly homework, to ensure students across the country have support to keep up with their education.
