Washington (October 30, 2021) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Representative Grace Meng (NY-06) applauded the inclusion of $300 million for the E-Rate Emergency Connectivity Fund within the Build Back Better framework released yesterday and released the following statement.

 

“Right now, 12 to 17 million students in the United States do not have internet access at home and are unable to complete their homework or participate in distance learning. To help close this ‘homework gap,’ we worked to create the Emergency Connectivity Fund within the American Rescue Plan and fought to include these additional funds in the Build Back Better Framework,” said the lawmakers.  “The Emergency Connectivity Fund will give students the tools they need to succeed in their education by providing Wi-Fi hotspots, modems, routers, and internet-enabled devices, as well as internet service through such equipment. The Emergency Connectivity Fund has already provided new opportunities to millions of students, and this additional funding will help keep our most vulnerable children connected. But the need to permanently close the homework gap remains: that’s why we intend to continue fighting for additional funds to replenish the Emergency Connectivity Fund for the next academic year and beyond and for Congress to pass our Securing Universal Communications Connectivity to Ensure Students Succeed Act.”

 

In July, Senator Markey, Senator Van Hollen, and Congresswoman Meng introduced the Securing Universal Communications Connectivity to Ensure Students Succeed (SUCCESS) Act to build on the Emergency Connectivity Fund created under the American Rescue Plan and provide schools and libraries with $8 billion a year over five years – for a total of $40 billion – to continue to connect students to the internet following the coronavirus pandemic.

 

Since the E-Rate program began more than two decades ago, more than $54 billion, including approximately $770 million in Massachusetts, has been invested nationwide to provide internet access for schools and libraries. Senator Markey is the author of the original E-Rate program, which was created as a part of the 1996 Telecommunications Act to connect schools and libraries to the internet. The new Emergency Connectivity Fund is a natural extension of the E-Rate program to connect students learning at home.