Emergency Connectivity Fund: What You Need To Know
The E-rate supplement aimed at closing the connectivity gap will be available soon
The Emergency Connectivity Fund (ECF) is a $7.1 billion initiative, included in the American Rescue Plan passed by Congress in March 2021, that will provide funding for K-12 public and nonpublic schools and libraries nationwide to buy laptops, tablets, Wi-Fi hotspots and broadband connections to help students, teachers and library patrons access the Internet off-campus primarily for educational purposes.
The 45-day application window is expected to begin mid-late June and will cover 100% of eligible purchases made between July 1, 2021 – June 30, 2022. If all funds are not expended from this window, then a second window will open for purchases made between March 1, 2020 - June 30 2020.
What is Eligible?
Internet connections and devices that support off-campus primarily for educational purposes.
Locations such as:
Community centers
Churches
Bookmobiles or buses parked off-campus
Homes of students, school staff, and library patrons.
Other off-campus locations where education is occurring
Types of Connections include:
Satellite
Wireless (fixed wireless, microwave, or mobile)
Cable
DSL
Leased Lit Fiber (to home or premises)
This includes monthly service through June 30, 2022, one-time installation fees, activation, shipping, taxes, and other reasonable fees. This does not include new build-outs, construction, or dark fiber/self provisioned networks unless the applicant can demonstrate that no other commercial options were available for the off-campus location where educational purposes are taking place.
Competitive bidding requirements do not apply. Bulk purchasing arrangements can be included.
Eligible Devices include:
Laptops and tablets (up to $400 per device)
Wi-Fi Hotspots (up to $250 per device)
Modems, routers, and devices that combine modems and routers
NOT ELIGIBLE: Smartphones (including if used as a hotspot) and desktop computers
Equipment for disabled individuals that may cost over $400 is eligible for reimbursement if the applicant files a waiver.
Who is Eligible?
E-rate eligible entities such as schools and libraries may apply. If your entity does not currently participate in E-rate, but are eligible for E-rate, you may still apply for the ECF. Applicants must be registered in the federal SAM.gov system to receive ECF reimbursements.
The target of the program is to connect students, staff, and library patrons to devices and services that they would not had access to without this additional support. Therefore, this program cannot but used to fulfill or supplement a 1:1 initiative. Applicants must certify that they are only seeking support for eligible equipment provided to students and school staff who would otherwise lack access to connected devices sufficient to engage in remote learning, or who would otherwise lack broadband services sufficient to engage in remote learning.
What Else Do I Need to Know?
For schools, “educational purposes” is defined as “activities that are integral, immediate, and proximate to the education of students.”
For libraries, “educational purposes” is defined as “activities that are “integral, immediate, and proximate to the provision of library services to library patrons.
No more than (1) connection per location, and (1) device per user.
The application will be a modified Form 471, and reimbursements will primarily be BEAR.
Reimbursements can be requested in advance of paying invoices.
If requests exceed funding availability, applications will be prioritized by highest E-rate discount percentage of applicants.
CIPA compliance is triggered by ownership of the device: if the school or library owns the device, then CIPA is required. If laptops/tablets were purchased with ECF funding, but are not owned by the school/library, then CIPA does not apply.
There is currently no guidance for filtering off-campus Internet connections.
If a new home connection is using EBB (Emergency Broadband Benefit) funding, then it is not eligible for ECF funding.
Selling, reselling, or transferring equipment funded through ECF is prohibited for (3) years after purchase. After (3) years it will be considered obsolete and may be resold, disposed, etc.
Schools and libraries are not required to submit recipients of services/devices and their respective locations in the application, but must document them and retain records for at least (10) years.