By John P. Bailey

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has made access to the internet more important than ever for America’s students. But the “homework gap” — the term coined to describe students who don’t have the home internet capability to do class assignments or online learning — continues to hinder the response and recovery services offered by schools. According to a Common Sense Media and Boston Consulting Group analysis, as many as 15 million of the country’s 51 million public school students lacked adequate connectivity and devices to learn from home.

This technological gap has exacerbated other educational
divides. Last year, students who lacked devices and connectivity couldn’t
access online courses or participate in lessons taught over Zoom. Disconnected
students also struggled this year when local outbreaks of the delta and omicron
variants triggered quarantines, forcing students back into temporary remote
learning for as long as two weeks at a time.

Ensuring students have access to a connected device at home
will also be vital in supporting recovery services. Home connectivity allows just-in-time access to live tutors to help students catch
up academically. Telehealth can quickly scale health services for students and assist
school nurses, who are already stretched thin by the pandemic’s demands. And
while the mental health crisis affecting children is worsened by the
fact that 70 percent of counties lack a child psychiatrist, new online services
can help provide crisis support for students and their families — or just
help teachers serve the social
and emotional needs of their students. Students having their own connected
device also allows schools to rethink instructional models and combine the best of online
learning with the best of in-person instruction. 

To close this home connectivity divide, Congress established
a $7.17 billion Emergency Connectivity Fund (ECF) through the American
Rescue Plan. The program is administered by the Federal Communications
Commission (FCC) using the existing E-rate program infrastructure. Eligible schools (public,
private, and in some cases even homeschooled students) and libraries can seek
reimbursement of costs for laptop and tablet computers, Wi-Fi hotspots,
modems, routers, and broadband connectivity purchases for off-campus use by
students, school staff, and library patrons. The program provides up to $400
for each connected device (laptops and tablets) and up to $250 for each Wi-Fi
hotspot.

The FCC opened two application windows that generated more
than $6.1 billion in requested support. As of December 2021, the FCC has committed
more than $3.8 billion to support more than 9,000 schools, 760 libraries,
and 100 consortia, providing nearly 8.3 million connected devices and over 4.4
million broadband connections. Additional awards will be announced in the weeks
ahead.

The following table shows the total amount requested by each
state along with the amount committed over the six waves of funding
commitments.

This funding is in addition to the more than $65 billion
provided under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which will help
build out broadband networks to un- and underserved communities and make
existing access more affordable for low-income families.

There is little time to waste. This connectivity will be the
key factor for students participating in courses, accelerating their learning
recovery, and accessing other crucial resources in the months ahead.

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