On October 25, 2023, the Federal Communications Commission issued a Public Notice containing an updated draft Eligible Services List (ESL) for Funding Year 2024 as well as a request for comment on certain services related to providing Wi-Fi access on school buses. The new draft ESL adds “mobile” wireless service to the Category One section of the ESL “to explicitly cover mobile broadband connectivity for school buses.”
The Public Notice also requests comment on several aspects of school bus Wi-Fi service, including:
- types of equipment needed to make school bus Wi-Fi functional, and whether those components should be classified as Category One or Category Two services;
- how the Commission can “ensure that the use of Wi-Fi equipment and services on school buses is consistent with E-Rate program rules and limitations,” including after-hours community use or limiting access only to students and staff;
- accuracy of the estimated cost of $1,840 per bus (derived from Emergency Connectivity Fund program data) to deliver Wi-Fi service; and,
- a tentative conclusion that applicants seeking funding for bus Wi-Fi service will not be required to compare costs against those of a “wireless local area network deployment in a building” in order to be eligible for funding.
The comment period on the updated draft ESL closes on November 24, 2023. The FCC’s Public Notice may be viewed here.
