Referred to the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology.
Congressional Research Service
Official summary
Version 00 · Introduced in House · May 23, 2024
Clarifying E–Rate Act of 2024
This bill provides statutory authority for the use of Schools and Libraries Universal Service Support program (E-Rate) funds for the provision of Wi-Fi access on school buses. (In a declaratory ruling titled Modernizing the E-Rate Program for Schools and Libraries and released on October 25, 2023, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) declared that the use of Wi-Fi and similar technologies on school buses serves an educational purpose and is therefore eligible for E-Rate funding. The policy effectively permits schools to receive discounted telecommunications service for use on school buses.)
The bill also directs the FCC to publish a notice of proposed rulemaking specifying any additional locations for which E-Rate funding may be used to support connectivity. The FCC must establish an annual process for considering additional eligible locations.
No related bills are listed in this snapshot. This does not establish whether the proposal has appeared in earlier Congresses.
Source last updated: Jan 10, 2025. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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