The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) approved six more states’ and two territories’ applications for funding from the Digital Equity Capacity Grant Program.
The announcement said, “States will use this funding to implement their digital equity plans, which outline how they will empower individuals and communities with the tools and skills necessary to benefit from meaningful access to affordable, reliable, high-speed Internet service.”
The eight new approved awards include grants for Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Maryland, North Dakota, Washington, American Samoa, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
According to the announcements, the grantees will use the NTIA digital equity funds in a variety of ways:
Arizona: $16,170,760
- Support local and Tribal capacity for digital equity planning, with an emphasis on rural inhabitants
- Increase digital literacy and skills training opportunities, with a focus on incarcerated individuals
- Ensure residents have an affordable device that meets their needs
Arkansas: $10,161,429
- Establish and support digital skills programs
- Facilitate a program that will provide reduced-cost devices to individuals who complete digital skills training
- Establish mini-grant programs for community Wi-Fi access
Colorado: $12,368,261
- Create a Digital Inclusion Innovation Lab to fund projects that increase digital equity
- Promote internet discount programs and cybersecurity services available through service providers and other organizations or businesses
- Explore a statewide ecosystem of device refurbishing, recycling, and technical support to increase device availability, affordability, and usability
Maryland: $13,427,134
- Increase the supply of publicly accessible digital technologies for underserved communities
- Connect incarcerated and re-entering individuals, people with disabilities, and veterans with digital skills education, workforce development training, digital navigation, technical support, and other digital inclusion activities
North Dakota: $4,549,772
- Provide funding to state agencies to expand and/or adjust existing digital equity programs and resources
- Convene internet providers to establish objectives for a cybersecurity certification program, then identify a subrecipient to finalize the development of the program
Washington: $15.98 million
- Develop a train-the-trainer certificate program for digital inclusion programs, with a peer-to-peer model to ensure that education is provided in a culturally relevant and accessible manner for all covered populations
- Conduct outreach and engagement, providing in-person digital skills training, tools, and educational resources related to online privacy, cybersecurity, and digital literacy
- Partner with providers to promote cybersecurity education
American Samoa: $2,100,000
- Strengthen disaster response capabilities and community resilience through broadband
- Encourage and promote private sector efforts to increase access to devices and/or lower costs through refurbishing, recycling, and/or training
- Coordinate initiatives that address affordability to improve internet access
U.S. Virgin Islands: $2,100,000
- Expand STEM and digital literacy programs for children and youth, especially those from low-income households
- Create an internet technology (IT) support certification and incentive program to build a cadre of IT professionals
- Expand online English language programs for people with language barriers
The awards announced this week — as well as the 44 announced previously — come from the first round of the NTIA Digital Equity Capacity Grant Program, which made more than $800 million (of the total $1.44 billion State Digital Equity Capacity Grant Program) available to states.
