(a) Advanced telecommunications and information services. “Advanced telecommunications and information services” are services, as such term is used in section 254(h) of the Communications Act, 47 U.S.C. 254(h).

(b) Billed entity. A “billed entity” is the entity that remits payment to service providers for equipment and services rendered to eligible schools and libraries.

(c) Connected devices. “Connected devices” are laptop computers or tablet computers that are capable of connecting to advanced telecommunications and information services. Connected devices do not include desktop computers or smartphones.

(d) Consortium. A “consortium” is any local, statewide, regional, or interstate cooperative association of schools and/or libraries eligible for Emergency Connectivity Fund support that seeks funding for eligible services on behalf of some or all of its members. A consortium may also include health care providers eligible under subpart G of this part, and public sector (governmental) entities, including, but not limited to, state colleges and state universities, state educational broadcasters, counties, and municipalities, although such entities are not eligible for support.

(e) COVID-19 emergency period. The “COVID-19 emergency period” has the meaning given the term in title VII, section 7402(d)(5), Public Law 117-2 (the American Rescue Plan Act).

(f) Educational purposes. For purposes of this subpart, activities that are integral, immediate, and proximate to the education of students in the case of a school, or integral, immediate, and proximate to the provision of library services to library patrons in the case of a library, qualify as “educational purposes.”

(g) Elementary school. An “elementary school” means an elementary school as defined in 20 U.S.C. 7801, a non-profit institutional day or residential school, including a public elementary charter school, that provides elementary education, as determined under state law.

(h) Library. A “library” includes:

(1) A public library;

(2) A public elementary school or secondary school library;

(3) A Tribal library;

(4) An academic library;

(5) A research library, which for the purpose of this section means a library that:

(i) Makes publicly available library services and materials suitable for scholarly research and not otherwise available to the public; and

(ii) Is not an integral part of an institution of higher education; and

(6) A private library, but only if the state in which such private library is located determines that the library should be considered a library for the purposes of this paragraph (h).

(i) Library consortium. A “library consortium” is any local, statewide, regional, or interstate cooperative association of libraries that provides for the systematic and effective coordination of the resources of schools, public, academic, and special libraries and information centers, for improving services to the clientele of such libraries. For the purposes of this subpart, references to library will also refer to library consortium.

(j) National school lunch program. The “national school lunch program” is a program administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and state agencies that provides free or reduced-price lunches to economically-disadvantaged children. A child whose family income is between 130 percent and 185 percent of applicable family size income levels contained in the nonfarm poverty guidelines prescribed by the Office of Management and Budget is eligible for a reduced-price lunch. A child whose family income is 130 percent or less of applicable family size income levels contained in the nonfarm income poverty guidelines prescribed by the Office of Management and Budget is eligible for a free lunch.

(k) Secondary school. A “secondary school” means a secondary school as defined in 20 U.S.C. 7801, a non-profit institutional day or residential school, including a public secondary charter school, that provides secondary education, as determined under state law except that the term does not include any education beyond grade 12.

(l) Wi-Fi. “Wi-Fi” is a wireless networking protocol based on Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers standard 802.11.

(m) Wi-Fi hotspot. A “Wi-Fi hotspot” is a device that is capable of receiving advanced telecommunications and information services, and sharing such services with another connected device through the use of Wi-Fi.