FCC approves $7 17bn broadband fund | total telecom totaltele.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from totaltele.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Published May 11, 2021 Updated May 11, 2021, 11:14 am CDT
Starting tomorrow, eligible Americans will be able to sign up for a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) coronavirus pandemic-related program that provides monthly discounts to help pay for broadband service. Featured Video Hide
The Emergency Broadband Benefit will allow for low-income Americans to get a monthly discount of up to $50 or $75 for Tribal lands to help pay for their internet access. The coronavirus pandemic has highlighted the country’s digital divide, the gap between those who have access to high-speed and affordable broadband and those who don’t. Advertisement Hide
Congress allocated $3.2 billion for the Emergency Broadband Benefit late last year and the FCC approved the final rules for the program in February.
FCC begins rollout of $10B in connectivity aid through emergency funds
After months of deliberations, the FCC is ready to start helping people cover the cost of broadband and connected devices through two emergency funds amounting to more than $10 billion. If your household has trouble paying for internet access or shares a single computer, or your wallet has just had a rough year, you probably qualify for help.
The two distinct programs are the Emergency Connectivity Fund Program and the Emergency Broadband Benefit Program. They sound similar, and in a general sense they do similar things, but they’re distinct programs intended to help close the connectivity gap in America, especially for those most adversely affected by the pandemic.
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On Friday, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced the release of a draft Report and Order establishing the Emergency Connectivity Fund Program (ECFP), pursuant to the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. According to FCC’s press release, the ECFP would, among other things, reimburse schools and libraries for the purchase of broadband connections and devices during the COVID-19 pandemic for students, school staff, and library patrons.
The FCC explained that prior to the pandemic, millions of students without home internet and computer access were caught in the “Homework Gap.” The pandemic reportedly inflamed the inequity, driving the FCC to act in order to help students, educators, and library patrons “engage in online learning and in so many other vital aspects of our increasingly digital lives.”