Emergency Educational Connections Act of 2020

To provide for E-Rate support for Wi-Fi hotspots, modems, routers, and connected devices during emergency periods relating to COVID–19, and for other purposes. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Emergency Educational Connections Act of 2020 2. E-Rate support for Wi-Fi hotspots, other equipment, and connected devices during emergency periods relating to COVID–19 (a) Regulations required Not later than 7 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Commission shall promulgate regulations providing for the provision, from amounts made available from the Emergency Connectivity Fund established under subsection (i)(1), of support under section 254(h)(1)(B) of the Communications Act of 1934 ( 47 U.S.C. 254(h)(1)(B) (1) in the case of a school, students and staff of such school at locations that include locations other than such school; and (2) in the case of a library, patrons of such library at locations that include locations other than such library. (b) Eligibility of Tribal libraries For purposes of determining the eligibility of a Tribal library for support under the regulations required by subsection (a), the portion of paragraph (4) of section 254(h) of the Communications Act of 1934 ( 47 U.S.C. 254(h) (c) Equipment described The equipment described in this subsection is the following: (1) Wi-Fi hotspots. (2) Modems. (3) Routers. (4) Devices that combine a modem and router. (5) Connected devices. (d) Prioritization of support The Commission shall provide in the regulations required by subsection (a) for a mechanism to require a school or library to prioritize the provision of equipment described in subsection (c), advanced telecommunications and information services, or equipment described in such subsection and advanced telecommunications and information services, for which support is received under such regulations, to students and staff or patrons (as the case may be) that the school or library believes do not have access to equipment described in subsection (c), do not have access to advanced telecommunications and information services, or have access to neither equipment described in subsection (c) nor advanced telecommunications and information services, at the residences of such students and staff or patrons. (e) Emergency periods described An emergency period described in this subsection is the duration of a public health emergency declared pursuant to section 319 of the Public Health Service Act ( 42 U.S.C. 247d (f) Treatment of equipment after emergency period The Commission shall provide in the regulations required by subsection (a) that, in the case of a school or library that purchases equipment described in subsection (c) using support received under such regulations, such school or library— (1) may, after the emergency period with respect to which such support is received, use such equipment for such purposes as such school or library considers appropriate, subject to any restrictions provided in such regulations (or any successor regulation); and (2) may not sell or otherwise transfer such equipment in exchange for any thing (including a service) of value, except that such school or library may exchange such equipment for upgraded equipment of the same type. (g) Rule of construction Nothing in this section shall be construed to affect any authority the Commission may have under section 254(h)(1)(B) of the Communications Act of 1934 ( 47 U.S.C. 254(h)(1)(B) (h) Procedural matters (1) Part 54 regulations Nothing in this section shall be construed to prevent the Commission from providing that the regulations in part 54 of title 47, Code of Federal Regulations, shall apply in whole or in part to support provided under the regulations required by subsection (a), shall not apply in whole or in part to such support, or shall be modified in whole or in part for purposes of application to such support. (2) Exemption from certain rulemaking requirements Subsections (b), (c), and (d) of section 553 of title 5, United States Code, shall not apply to a regulation promulgated under subsection (a) of this section or a rulemaking to promulgate such a regulation. (3) Paperwork Reduction Act exemption A collection of information conducted or sponsored under the regulations required by subsection (a), or under section 254 of the Communications Act of 1934 ( 47 U.S.C. 254 chapter 35 (i) Emergency Connectivity Fund (1) Establishment There is established in the Treasury of the United States a fund to be known as the Emergency Connectivity Fund. (2) Appropriation There is appropriated to the Emergency Connectivity Fund, out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, $2,000,000,000 for fiscal year 2020, to remain available through fiscal year 2021. (3) Use of funds Amounts in the Emergency Connectivity Fund shall be available to the Commission to provide support under the regulations required by subsection (a). (4) Relationship to universal service contributions Support provided under the regulations required by subsection (a) shall be provided from amounts made available under paragraph (3) and not from contributions under section 254(d) of the Communications Act of 1934 ( 47 U.S.C. 254(d) (j) Definitions In this section: (1) Advanced telecommunications and information services The term advanced telecommunications and information services 47 U.S.C. 254(h) (2) Commission The term Commission (3) Connected device The term connected device (4) Library The term library (5) Wi-Fi The term Wi-Fi (6) Wi-Fi hotspot The term Wi-Fi hotspot (A) receiving mobile advanced telecommunications and information services; and (B) sharing such services with another device through the use of Wi-Fi.

Summary: Emergency Educational Connections Act of 2020 This bill establishes and provides funding for the Emergency Connectivity Fund, from which the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) must provide support for certain schools or libraries to purchase specified telecommunications equipment during the public health emergency declared because of COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019). Specifically, the FCC shall provide funds to certain elementary schools, secondary schools, or libraries to purchase telecommunications equipment or services (e.g., Wi-Fi hotspots, modems, and routers) for use by students, staff, or patrons at locations that include locations other than the schools or libraries. Priority must be given to students, staff, or patrons who do not have access to such equipment or services. Following the emergency period, funding recipients are authorized to use purchased equipment for appropriate purposes but may not sell or transfer such equipment for anything of value, except for upgraded equipment of the same type.