Title: Every Child Connected Act
Policy area: Science, Technology, Communications

Summary:
Every Child Connected Act
This bill requires the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to modify the E-rate program, which allots broadband discounts to schools and libraries.
Specifically, the FCC must modify the program to (1) expand the eligible activities that qualify as being for educational purposes, (2) deem certain households in which students are participating in distance learning and are eligible for free or reduced-price school meals to be classrooms, and (3) provide that a school's eligibility shall not be diminished if it extends services obtained through the program to households with a child who is eligible for free or reduced-price school meals.

[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1381 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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117th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1381

To require the Federal Communications Commission to make amendments to 
     the E-rate program of the Commission, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             April 27, 2021

 Mrs. Capito (for herself and Ms. Klobuchar) introduced the following 
 bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, 
                      Science, and Transportation

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To require the Federal Communications Commission to make amendments to 
     the E-rate program of the Commission, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Every Child Connected Act''.

SEC. 2. E-RATE PROGRAM.

    (a) Definitions.--In this section--
            (1) the term ``Commission'' means the Federal 
        Communications Commission;
            (2) the term ``covered household'' means a household with a 
        child eligible to receive free or reduced price lunch under the 
        Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1751 et 
        seq.) or free or reduced price school breakfasts under the 
        Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1771 et seq.);
            (3) the term ``distance learning'' has the meaning given 
        the term in section 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary 
        Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801); and
            (4) the term ``E-rate program'' means the universal service 
        program set forth under subpart F of part 54 of title 47, Code 
        of Federal Regulations (or any successor regulations).
    (b) Updates to E-Rate Program.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
        enactment of this Act, the Commission shall amend the E-rate 
        program to provide that--
                    (A) activities that are integral, immediate, and 
                proximate to the education of a student, even if those 
                activities are performed in a covered household, 
                qualify as activities that are for educational purposes 
                for the purposes of the E-rate program;
                    (B) a covered household in which a student is 
                engaged or participating in distance learning shall be 
                deemed to be a classroom for the purposes of the E-rate 
                program; and
                    (C) the eligibility of a school under the E-rate 
                program, or any support received by a school through 
                the E-rate program, shall not be diminished if the 
                school extends services obtained through the E-rate 
                program to a covered household.
            (2) Coordination.--In making the amendments required under 
        paragraph (1), the Commission shall coordinate with the 
        Secretary of Education and appropriate instrumentalities of 
        State and local governments.
            (3) Technical and conforming amendments.--Section 254 of 
        the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 254) is amended--
                    (A) in subsection (b)(6), by inserting ``covered 
                households (as defined in section 2(a) of the Every 
                Child Connected Act and solely for the purposes 
                described in section 2(b)(1) of that Act),'' after 
                ``schools and classrooms,'';
                    (B) in subsection (c)(3), by inserting ``covered 
                households (as defined in section 2(a) of the Every 
                Child Connected Act and solely for the purposes 
                described in section 2(b)(1) of that Act),'' after 
                ``schools,''; and
                    (C) in subsection (h)--
                            (i) in paragraph (1)(B), in the first 
                        sentence of the matter preceding clause (i), by 
                        inserting ``covered households (as defined in 
                        section 2(a) of the Every Child Connected Act 
                        and solely for the purposes described in 
                        section 2(b)(1) of that Act),'' after 
                        ``secondary schools,''; and
                            (ii) in paragraph (2)--
                                    (I) in subparagraph (A), by 
                                inserting ``covered households (as 
                                defined in section 2(a) of the Every 
                                Child Connected Act and solely for the 
                                purposes described in section 2(b)(1) 
                                of that Act),'' after ``classrooms,''; 
                                and
                                    (II) in subparagraph (B), by 
                                inserting ``or household'' after 
                                ``public institutional''.
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