FCC Announces Over $5 Billion in Funding Requests Received in Emergency Connectivity Fund (ECF) Program and Will Open Second 15-Day Window on September 28 for School and Library Purchases in the 2021-22 School Year

From the Federal Communications Commission:

The Federal Communications Commission today announced that it has received requests for $5.137 billion to fund 9.1 million connected devices  and 5.4 million broadband connections as part of the $7.17 billion Emergency Connectivity Fund Program. The first filing window, which closed August 13, 2021, attracted applications from all 50 states, American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, U.S.  Virgin Islands and the District of Columbia – including schools and libraries in both rural and urban communities seeking funding for eligible equipment and services received or delivered  between July 1, 2021 and June 30, 2022. In view of outstanding demand and the recent spike  in coronavirus cases, the FCC will open a second application filing window for schools and  libraries to request funding for connected devices and broadband connections for off-campus  use by students, school staff, and library patrons for the current 2021-22 school year.

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The FCC will open the second application filing window to provide support for the current  school year in light of outstanding demand, including applications that were filed after the  close of the initial application filing window, and resource challenges some schools faced with  a summertime application filing window. Moreover, the rise of the Delta variant means off-campus connectivity remains vital to ensuring students, school staff, and library patrons can  engage in remote learning as they face challenges and uncertainty amidst the ongoing COVID-
19 pandemic.

During the second application filing window, which will run from September 28 to October 13,  eligible schools and libraries can apply for financial support to purchase eligible equipment and services for students, school staff and library patrons with unmet needs.

State-by-State Breakdown of Funding Demand

Learn More, Read the Complete Announcement

See Also: Statement From Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband (SHLB) Coalition

Filed under: Funding, Libraries, News, Patrons and Users