To amend section 254 of the Communications Act of 1934 to ensure that certain telecommunications assistance available to assist school buses is preserved consistent with the Declaratory Ruling in the matter of Modernizing the E-Rate Program for Schools and Libraries adopted by the Federal Communications Commission on October 19, 2023 (FCC 23–84; WC Docket No. 13–184), and for other purposes.
About This Bill
Committee
Latest Action · May 31, 2024
Referred to the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology.
Clarifying E–Rate Act of 2024
This bill provides statutory authority for the use of Schools and Libraries Universal Service Support program (E-Rate) funds for the provision of Wi-Fi access on school buses. (In a declaratory ruling titled Modernizing the E-Rate Program for Schools and Libraries and released on October 25, 2023, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) declared that the use of Wi-Fi and similar technologies on school buses serves an educational purpose and is therefore eligible for E-Rate funding. The policy effectively permits schools to receive discounted telecommunications service for use on school buses.)
The bill also directs the FCC to publish a notice of proposed rulemaking specifying any additional locations for which E-Rate funding may be used to support connectivity. The FCC must establish an annual process for considering additional eligible locations.
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