Next Emergency Connectivity Fund Filing Window Opening in April

WASHINGTON, March 23, 2022 – The Federal Communications Commission said Wednesday it is opening its next filing window for the Emergency Connectivity Fund on April 28, after which it hopes to release an additional $1 billion from a fund that has so far gone to subsidize student connectivity.

The third filing window will close on May 13 and will thereafter give schools and libraries an opportunity to submit requests for equipment and services over 18 months between July 1 through to December 31, 2023, to supply the next year of school.

“Given past demand, the third application filing window will likely be the last opportunity for schools and libraries to request funding before the remaining [funds] are exhausted,” the commission said in a press release.

The FCC also announced it is providing a 12th round of funding for this school year, which will go toward supporting an additional 200,000 students. The agency said it is including $68 million in additional commitments.

The FCC is coming off announcing the fund’s previous round of funding earlier this month, when it committed $64 million from the $7-billion fund that has so far allocated almost $4.69 billion toward closing the so-called “homework gap” since its launch in June last year.

The fund has so far committed over 10 million connected devices and five million broadband connections while connecting over 12.5 million students, the commission said.