As we reported in an earlier post, the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) enacted by Congress in March 2021 provides $7.1 billion for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to create an Emergency Connectivity Fund Program to help schools and libraries purchase eligible laptop and tablet computers, Wi-Fi hotspots, modems, routers and broadband connectivity for students, school staff, and library patrons who would otherwise lack connected devices and/or broadband connections sufficient to fully engage in remote learning.
Later this month, the FCC and the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC), an independent not-for-profit designated by the FCC to administer the Universal Service Fund and the E-Rate program, plan to open the first funding window, which will fund equipment and services for the upcoming 2021-22 school year.
USAC is conducting outreach and training about the Emergency Connectivity Fund Program. You can register for an Emergency Connectivity Fund overview training using the links below. USAC will repeat the training several times to allow all potential applicants to join a session. Trainings are also recorded. By signing up you can access the recordings.
- Wednesday, June 16 @ 2 p.m. ET: Emergency Connectivity Fund Overview Webinar for E-rate Participants – Register
- Thursday, June 17 @ 2 p.m. ET: Emergency Connectivity Fund Overview Webinar for New (Non E-rate Participants) – Register
- Thursday, June 17 @ 4 p.m. ET: Emergency Connectivity Fund Overview for Tribal Applicants – Register
- Wednesday, June 23 @ 3 p.m. ET: Emergency Connectivity Fund Overview for Potential Applicants – Register
USAC will post Program e-learning modules on the website and host weekly office hours where applicants can ask questions and get information to support the application process.
Visit the Emergency Connectivity Fund Program website to view trainings, access e-learning modules and register for office hour sessions.
More detail is available in the FCC Order that established the Program. To learn more about the Program, please visit EmergencyConnectivityFund.org and sign up for Program emails.
