Abstract:
The undersigned 58 education and related national associations support the $7 billion Emergency
Connectivity Fund, contained in the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, H.R. 1319, that would allow
the Federal Communications Commission to provide one-time emergency support for schools and
libraries to purchase technology and devices needed to provide home Internet connectivity through the
E-rate program.
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues and schools continue to adapt to in school, hybrid and remote
learning, students and educators lacking Internet access are at great disadvantage, or worse, shut out of
teaching and learning. According to a recent study, 12 million K-12 students continue to lack the Internet
connectivity at home needed to complete schoolwork nearly a year into this pandemic.1 They are caught
in the cruelest aspect of the digital divide – the “homework gap” – because they are unable to participate
in online learning, after-school enrichment, and programs that help address loss of opportunities to learn
during this difficult time. Also, a disproportionate number of students lacking Internet access are Black,
Brown or Indigenous, come from low-income households, and rural areas. These students are depending
on schools and libraries to help bridge the homework gap.
