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chool buses are at the center of a determined effort by federal agencies, technology com- panies and educators to close the homework gap, narrow the digital divide, boost distance learning, and eliminate other educational inequities caused by COVID-19. The federal government is contributing to this


effort by making available to technology companies and educators funding mechanisms that are be- ing used to convert the school bus into an oasis of connectivity in the desert of low-income neighbor- hoods and rural areas that heretofore have been left behind in the digital age. The funding is meant to narrow the digital learn-


ing divide between affluent neighborhoods and lower income and rural areas, where students have no internet access. It is also meant to give students who spend up to three hours round trip on school buses added time to study and complete home- work assignments. School districts that have Wi-Fi hotspots report increases in student achievements, a decrease in disciplinary referrals, and higher driver satisfaction.


While some say these remedies were implemented


to combat the effects of COVID-19, others say the onset of the virus brought into focus the undeniable inequities of an educational system that neither the federal government nor the economic infrastructure could continue to overlook. Two recent developments underscore efforts to accelerate and sustain funding to level the educational playing field. In May, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) expanded the scope of the Emergency Connectivity Fund (ECF) to cover 100 percent of the cost of installing Wi-Fi hotspot equipment on school buses. The ECF, which FCC oversees, expands funding previ- ously limited to school buildings and libraries that receive E-Rate funding for implementing affordable broadband. The $7.17 billion of funding is designed to cover these costs through June 2022. The FCC’s largesse came with a time limit, however, and the 45-day application period by which school districts must have applied for these funds expired Aug. 13. Then, in July, a bill was introduced by about 40 members of Congress called the Securing Universal


24 School Transportation News • SEPTEMBER 2021


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