How Can States Leverage Broadband Emergency Funds?

The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 allocates an unprecedented $7 billion toward expanding broadband funding initiatives and supports, including an emphasis on one very important stakeholder: students.

Understanding the $7 Billion Broadband Funding

It helps to look at the $7 billion broadband allocation in two parts:

PART 1: Nearly $3.2 billion of the $7 billion establishes the FCC Emergency Broadband Benefit Program, a new short-term emergency program supporting low-income consumers to access the Internet.

• The program would reimburse participating companies and telecom providers for offering discounted broadband services and connected devices to eligible households during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Eligible and/or qualifying individuals and households include: individuals qualifying for the National School Free and Reduced Price Lunch program, college Pell Grant recipients and households of individuals who were negatively impacted by job loss or furlough during the pandemic, as well as other qualifying individuals as determined by the FCC or the provider.
• Many of these eligible households include low-income K-12 students, families and educators who lack access to connectivity, digital devices and necessary online learning resources.

PART 2: The remaining $3.8 billion of the $7 billion is dedicated to increasing access, affordability and security of broadband through an assortment of programs and initiatives. This portion of the funding prioritizes:

• Increasing access to broadband for rural and tribal communities;
• Developing broadband and related 21st century workforce training programs for minority communities;
• Protecting broadband networks from national security threats;
• Expanding telehealth programs; and
• Bolstering the federal broadband mapping project.  

For the purpose of this post, we will focus on the first part of this funding, the $3.2 billion for the FCC Emergency Broadband Connectivity Program. 

Helping Communities, Families and Students Access the FCC Emergency Broadband Benefit Program

The FCC Emergency Broadband Benefit Program and associated funds are set to expire six months after the pandemic ends, creating an important window of opportunity for states and communities to act now. We know hundreds of thousands of K-12 Students and educators do not have broadband connectivity, locking them out of remote education opportunities. Many of these students and educators are part of the eligible households that qualify for the FCC Emergency Broadband Connectivity program.

States can help get these funds in the hands of these families by working with telecom providers, LEAs and nonprofit community partners to:

1. Help Identify Eligible Students & Educators: Use data from the digital needs survey of students and educators. If no survey exists, ensure one is conducted.
2. Increase Awareness of Program Availability and Qualifications: Ensure K-12 students and educators, particularly those who do not have access to digital connectivity and devices in their households, are aware of, and can benefit from, the new FCC Emergency Broadband Benefit Program.
3. Streamline Public-Private Efforts: Serve as a liaison and connector of public and private efforts, particularly connecting telecom providers and schools.

By aligning new and existing state efforts to expand broadband access (including connectivity, digital devices and digital inclusion skills training programs) with the recent federal stimulus broadband initiatives, states can ensure they are maximizing the opportunities to close the digital divide for students and the education community.

1. Help Identify Eligible Students & Educators

• Provide guidance to LEAs about the importance of conducting an annual digital needs survey for its students and educators. The survey will identify gaps in the number and type of digital connectivity and devices that may exist and the most appropriate solutions to closing those gaps. The survey should include specific data elements that are aligned with federal indicators like participation in the National School Lunch Program and student addresses, which will allow for states and schools to more accurately estimate how many students in a specific service area need connectivity and devices overall and compare those numbers with the number of households with students who may qualify for the new FCC program. Even after the new FCC program funds expire, an annual survey will result in key data that can be used by the SEA and LEAs to devise a long-term plan, in conjunction with the telecom providers, on how to leverage a combination of federal and state dollars to close the digital divide for high-needs student communities.

• Streamline verification of families who qualify for the National School Lunch program, and the new FCC program. States can work with LEAs to aggregate the sign-up process for the FCC program, on behalf of telecom providers. By using a data-driven process (through the above-mentioned survey) to ensure accurate reporting of students participating in the National Lunch program, states can quickly and accurately report the number of students who are in need of digital connectivity and devices and who would be able to opt-into the rebate provided by the FCC program.

2. Increase Awareness of Program Availability and Qualifications

• Provide support and guidance directly to schools and communities to help spread the word on the new program’s availability, qualifications and process. By having LEAs share this valuable information with their students and educators and their respective families, more households will be made aware of how to sign up for services with the telecom providers. More households will also receive telecom pricing and service offering comparisons and options, inclusive of digital devices and connectivity.
• Work with LEAs, community organizations and local nonprofits to increase awareness of the program and the potential benefits to students’ education. Working through a community-based approach, states, LEAs, and local nonprofits can work to provide culturally responsive assistance and information, in the language of the community’s choice, on how to participate in the program, which can build trust, higher participation rates, and stronger communication about the benefits of the program for students.

3. Streamline Public-Private Efforts

• Streamline the process by serving as the liaison for digital connectivity and device master service/purchasing agreements between telecom providers and LEAs. Assist LEAs in identifying and receiving the most cost-effective connectivity and device offerings for their students and educators. Issue a Request for Information (RFI) or similar mechanism to all eligible telecom providers, to request telecom provider pricing and offerings for the LEAs and school-aged families they serve, including those who qualify to participate in the new FCC program. Such a list of eligible telecom providers and their service offerings is beneficial to states, LEAs and students. With regard to the FCC program, it will be important to identify the low-cost telecom service offerings provided to households, and more importantly, the service offerings that include both internet access and digital devices, to ensure students are connected with internet and an internet-enabled device to complete their school work. By having a formal price list, it will ensure that even after the FCC’s emergency rebate expires, states, LEAs, and communities will continue to have transparency about these low-cost options.
• Support the LEAs with regular updates to connectivity equipment, broadband infrastructure and/or devices and skills training. If and when devices or connectivity and related equipment grow obsolete or need to be insured or replaced, states can play a role in updating the negotiated master service agreement between schools and telecom providers and/or identify cost-effective solutions, working with nonprofits that provide donated, refurbished, or used devices and equipment.
• Effectively coordinate and leverage the use of FCC broadband program funding, existing e-rate funding, federal Title II and Title IV funding, and other, related federal and state funding that supports students and educators with closing the digital divide. Many states have created state broadband programs or offices to help with coordinating the use of broadband funds, which can include student and educator digital learning needs.

Don’t Forget the Big Picture

This funding is one piece of the large puzzle we are all working to put together to bridge the digital divide. Always look to connect existing efforts, programs and funding with new sources of funding with priority given to those who need it most. By doing so, broadband funding can be more than a short-term band-aid helping communities through the pandemic and provide stability, growth and opportunity to close the digital divide once and for all.