More Than $1 Billion Going to States for Emergency Connectivity Fund

The Federal Communications Commission today announced that it is committing more than $1.2 billion 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 more than 3 million devices and nearly 775,000 broadband connections, and help connect more than 3.6 million students who, according to their schools, otherwise would 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 Sept. 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," she said. "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 be open from Sept. 28 –Oct. 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 learning, such as homework and virtual learning as schools continue to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Some 3,678 applicaitons were received in the first filing window. 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:

State

Wave 1 Total Committed Funding 

State

Wave 1 Total Committed Funding 

Alaska

 $4,191,684.42 

Montana

 $853,554.16 

Alabama

 $5,078,511.25 

North Carolina

 $42,032,934.08 

Arkansas

 $8,960,337.02 

North Dakota

 $1,966,386.84 

Arizona

 $38,742,438.05 

Nebraska

 $11,292,769.36 

California

 $71,046,764.80 

New Hampshire

 $2,402,972.18 

Colorado

 $5,809,110.75 

New Jersey

 $33,419,811.39 

Connecticut

 $14,302,045.41 

New Mexico

 $6,084,960.17 

District of Columbia

 $12,636,187.13 

Nevada

 $1,386,103.16 

Delaware

 $4,934,298.08 

New York

 $243,117,570.99 

Florida

 $59,168,449.55 

Ohio

 $26,513,878.16 

Georgia

 $56,405,064.31 

Oklahoma

 $16,208,224.31 

Guam

 $6,327,126.00 

Oregon

 $28,981,470.90 

Hawaii

 $105,556.00 

Pennsylvania

 $20,576,713.74 

Iowa

 $4,738,843.71 

Puerto Rico

 $2,565,171.35 

Idaho

 $11,173,775.43 

Rhode Island

 $6,922,559.04 

Illinois

 $40,685,102.88 

South Carolina

 $4,896,839.98 

Indiana

 $20,877,344.26 

South Dakota

 $91,910.25 

Kansas

 $4,312,592.48 

Tennessee

 $11,196,048.83 

Kentucky

 $28,550,783.20 

Texas

 $97,168,264.86 

Louisiana

 $37,147,568.19 

Utah

 $1,965,339.60 

Massachusetts

 $14,831,730.51 

Virginia

 $38,878,019.31 

Maryland

 $19,347,517.95 

Vermont

 $678,258.30 

Maine

 $1,646,178.50 

Washington

 $28,800,226.42 

Michigan

 $31,969,074.65 

Wisconsin

 $20,121,842.15 

Minnesota

 $19,830,464.06 

West Virginia

 $4,188,368.24 

Missouri

 $22,812,661.54 

Wyoming

 $48,012.00 

Mississippi

 $5,118,076.98 

 

 

TOTAL

$1,203,107,496.88

Detailed information on the status of applications submitted during the initial application filing window that closed Aug. 13, 2021, is available in the Open Data Portal.  This portal provides detailed information about these applications, including applicant details, requested funds, individual product or service details, and funding commitment information. The commission also is making available a spreadsheet that provides searchable, high-level information regarding amounts committed in the first 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.