The FCC will allow E-Rate funding to be used for Wi-Fi on school buses beginning in funding year 2024 as the Emergency Connectivity Fund (ECF) program is set to sunset.
The FCC ruling clarifies that the use of Wi-Fi, or other similar access point technologies, on school buses serves an educational purpose and the provision of such service is therefore eligible for E-Rate funding.
The E-Rate program was authorized by Congress as part of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 and created by the Commission in 1997 to enhance access to advanced telecommunications and information services for all public and nonprofit elementary and secondary school classrooms and libraries.
