The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is investing more than $12 million in a new round of funding for the Emergency Connectivity Fund (ECF) Program, which provides digital services for students across the country.
The latest round of funding will benefit roughly 35,000 students across the country, including students in Arkansas, Connecticut, Illinois, South Carolina, Texas, and Washington. The latest round of funding will support 45 schools, 5 libraries, and 1 consortium.
As part of its funding process, the ECP had three application windows that schools and libraries could apply under. This latest round of funding will go towards applications from the third window.
“While the school year is winding down, the need to get all our students connected remains a priority so kids can access online assignments and engage with teachers,” said FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel. “This program has made important progress in helping to close the Homework Gap.”
ECP funding can be used to support off-campus learning to ensure students across the country have the necessary support to keep up with their education. The FCC reports that to date, the program has provided support to approximately 11,000 schools, 1,000 libraries, and 120 consortia. In total, through the ECP the FCC has provided nearly 13 million connected devices and more than eight million broadband connections.
