Last week, the House Energy and Commerce Committee held a markup hearing for its part of the budget reconciliation bill, which includes $7.6 billion for a new Emergency Connectivity Fund within the e-rate program. This will provide funding for rural elementary and secondary schools and for libraries to buy devices and connectivity services for students and individuals to use for remote learning. The e-rate program currently does not pay for devices, Wi-Fi hotspots, or other connectivity to be used except at schools or libraries, and this new funding allows people to get connectivity elsewhere.
