School Bus Wi-Fi - FY24 Eligible Services List Released!

As we shared in an earlier blog post, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) recently voted to adopt a Declaratory Ruling making school bus Wi-Fi equipment and services eligible for E-Rate funding in FY 2024. The FCC recently released the FY 2024 Eligible Services List (ESL) for the E-Rate Program that includes the basic eligibility rules for school bus Wi-Fi.

The following are the ESL FY 2024 rules specific to school bus Wi-Fi:

• Category One

  School bus Wi-Fi equipment and wireless internet services will be classified as Category One. In doing so, applicants can file for services and equipment together, and it also allows all applicants to apply regardless of their available Category Two budget. 

  As of now, maintenance and operation services are ineligible.

• Ownership, Leases, etc.

  All school-owned, leased, or contracted school buses are eligible. You can receive reimbursement for services for all twelve months of the funding year, with the stipulation that it must be turned on and available for student use all twelve months.

  Any use of funding for Wi-Fi on charter buses for activities like school field trips is ineligible.

• Rules and Regulations

  Applicants will be expected to use these services for educational purposes – e.g., restricting content and disallowing use of the Wi-Fi by the general community.

  Funding for Wi-Fi on school buses is subject to all E-Rate rules – e.g., competitive bidding.

Click here to view the complete FCC FY 2024 Eligible Services List.

If you have any questions, or if this is something you may be interested in applying for in FY 2024, please let us know by clicking the button below.

For help with applying for CTF or E-Rate, telecom optimization audits, or telecom project management, reach out to us at HWC Consultants!