$24M committed to helping schools, libraries provide remote learning during pandemic

Feb. 15 (UPI) -- The Federal Communications Commission is committing more than $24 million to help provide digital services to students in multiple states, the agency announced Wednesday.

The money comes in the third application window of the Emergency Connectivity Fund, which was first introduced in 2021.

The $7.1 billion ECF is meant to help schools and libraries as they provide remote learning services because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"For eligible schools and libraries, the ECF Program will cover reasonable costs of laptop and tablet computers; Wi-Fi hotspots; modems; routers; and broadband connectivity purchases for off-campus use by students, school staff, and library patrons," is how the program's website describes it.

More than 140 schools, along with eight libraries and three consortia, are receiving funding from Wednesday's announcement.

The money can be used for things such as assistance for off-campus homework, allowing students to keep up with their academic workload.

Overall, the program has so far helped approximately 11,000 schools, 1,000 libraries, and 100 consortia. It has funded almost 13 million connected devices and more than 8 million Internet connections.

"Today's funding commitments support applications from the third application window, benefiting approximately 50,000 students across the country, including students in Illinois, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Texas, and Wisconsin," the FCC said in a statement Wednesday.