Federal Communications Commission

Acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel announced the Federal Communications Commission will begin releasing more detailed Emergency Broadband Benefit (EBB) enrollment figures to inform its current awareness efforts and empower its outreach partners with targeted campaigns. Since May 2021, the FCC enrolled over 3 million households into the EBB program and the new data will show enrolled households in three-digit zip code areas.

Federal Communications Commission Acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel announced schools and libraries can now begin to file applications for the $7.17 billion Emergency Connectivity Fund, the FCC's latest effort to connect Americans. Schools and libraries can apply for financial support to purchase laptops and tablets, Wi-Fi hotspots, modems, routers, and broadband connections to serve unmet needs for off-campus use by students, school staff, and library patrons.

Acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel announced a twelve-month extension of the original three-year term of the Federal Communications Commission’s current Native Nations Communications Task Force.

In response to the impact of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, the Federal Communications Commission's Wireline Competition Bureau has waived certain Lifeline program rules in seven previous Orders to provide necessary relief for low-income households. Although vaccination efforts have been underway for several months and overall cases have decreased, the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic are still being felt by many Americans.

The Federal Communications Commission, the Department of Agriculture, and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration will share information about and coordinate the distribution of federal broadband deployment funds.

Acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel announced that the Federal Communications Commission will re-charter the Advisory Committee for Diversity and Digital Empowerment under a new name–the Communications Equity and Diversity Council. The Council’s mission will expand from its initial focus on the media ecosystem to review critical diversity and equity issues across the technology sector. This Committee is charged with providing recommendations to ensure that underserved communities are not denied the wide range of opportunities made possible by next-generation networks.

The Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) projects that, $379.97 million in unused funds is available for use in future Rural Health Care (RHC) Program funding years beginning in 2021. The Federal Communications Commission directs USAC to carry these unused funds over to satisfy funding year 2021 RHC Program demand. The overall RHC Program funding cap for 2021 is $612,016,418.

Federal Communications Commission Acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel announced that the items below are tentatively on the agenda for the July Open Commission Meeting scheduled for Tuesday, July 13, 2021: