Hi folks!
Please see below the FCC press release regarding the first wave of ECF (Emergency Connectivity Fund) commitments!
If you applied in the first ECF window and haven’t been notified about being funded, don’t worry. This is just the first wave and they are still processing applications from the first window.
Don’t forget – the SECOND FILING WINDOW
opens September 28th and closes on October 13th. If you missed filing in the first window, now is your chance to apply!
[log in to unmask]" alt="FCC - News from the Federal Communications Commission"> Media Contact: Anne Veigle For Immediate Release
FCC COMMITS OVER $1.2 BILLION IN FIRST FUNDING WAVE
WASHINGTON, September 24, 2021—The Federal Communications Commission today announced that it is committing $1,203,107,496.88 for 3,040 schools, 260 libraries, and 24 consortia that applied for support from the $7.17 billion Emergency Connectivity
Fund Program. This first wave of funding commitments will provide students, school staff and library patrons in all 50 states and Guam, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia access to the devices and broadband connectivity they need to support their off-campus
education needs. The funding will support 3,081,131 devices and 774,115 broadband connections and help connect over 3.6 million students who, according to their schools, would otherwise lack devices, broadband access, or both. More details about which schools
and libraries will receive funding can be found here: https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DOC-376028A2.xlsx.
Interested applicants can still seek program funding starting on September 28. “This first round of funding in the Emergency Connectivity Fund will help thousands of schools and libraries across the country provide critical online resources to their students, staff and library patrons,”
said Acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel. “From small rural libraries like the Sesser Public Library in Sesser, Illinois, to large school districts like Baltimore City Public Schools,
this first wave of funding will provide more than 3 million connected devices for remote learning and will make a major dent in closing one of the cruelest parts of the digital divide. “Closing the Homework Gap means that all students can be connected to their schools and teachers—and now the FCC has new tools to help do just that. The enthusiastic response to this program highlights
just how much help is needed, and we look forward to providing additional support through our second application window that opens on September 28. Together with the Emergency Broadband Benefit Program, we are investing more than $10 billion in getting students
and households online.” A second application filing window will open on September 28 and close on October 13, and will provide funding for eligible equipment and services received or delivered between July 1, 2021 and June
30, 2022. The funding is available for the purchase of laptops and tablets, Wi-Fi hotspots, modems, routers, and broadband connections for off-campus use by students, school staff, and library patrons in need, and is available to support off-campus leaning,
such as homework and virtual learning as schools continue to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. In the first application filing window, 3,678 applicants applied for funding. Of the $1.203 billion committed in the first application window, approximately $1.17 billion will support schools, $23.97 million will be directed to libraries,
and $12.03 million will support consortia of schools and libraries. The FCC continues to review applications from the first application filing window and will announce future funding commitments in coming weeks.
A state-by-state breakdown of total committed funding in the first wave is available below:
Detailed information on the status of applications submitted during the initial application filing window that closed on August 13, 2021 is available in the
Open Data Portal. The Open Data Portal provides detailed information about these applications including applicant details, requested funds, individual product or service details, and funding commitment information. The Commission is also making available
a spreadsheet that provides searchable, high-level information regarding amounts committed in the first commitment wave, including applicant name, location, and their requested support. These resources are available at
https://www.emergencyconnectivityfund.org/open-data/. Additional information on the Emergency Connectivity Fund program is available at:
www.emergencyconnectivityfund.org. The program is administered
by the Universal Service Administrative Company, with oversight from and under rules unanimously adopted by the Federal Communications Commission.
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This is an unofficial announcement of Commission action. Release of the full text of a Commission order constitutes official action. See MCI v. FCC, 515 F.2d 385 (D.C. Cir. 1974). |
Happy filing!
Liz
Liz Thigpen Schreck | Director
Ocoee River Regional Library
State E-rate Coordinator for Public Libraries
Office of Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett
718 George St., NW, Athens, TN 37303
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