Coalition Letter to the US Senate Regarding the Emergency Connectivity Fund and Addressing the Homework Gap

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.