Government officials host a round-table discussion with Pittsburgh leaders on broadband

Deputy Commerce Secretary Don Graves, Congressman Mike Doyle (D-PA), and Mayor Bill Peduto (D-PA) hosted a roundtable discussion to address the increasing need for high-speed, affordable internet access in the Pittsburgh (PA) area and across the US. At the Energy Innovation Center in Pittsburgh, Deputy Secretary Graves opened the roundtable by stressing the fact that the COVID-19 pandemic exposed how wide the digital divide is in America and how much Americans rely on broadband for schools, jobs and telemedicine. Participants in the roundtable included Pittsburgh and Alleghany County leaders advocating for broadband access and affordability in schools, healthcare, public safety communications and workforce development. Deputy Secretary Graves praised the Senate’s recent passage of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act which calls for an investment of $65 billion to help bring high-speed broadband to all Americans, to bring down high-speed internet prices across the board, and to close the digital divide. Graves also underscored that broadband will be a top priority for the Department of Commerce and announced that communities across America can now apply to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s (NTIA) Connecting Minority Communities Program that will direct $269 million for expanding broadband access and connectivity to Historically Black, Tribal and minority-serving colleges and universities to help them purchase broadband services or equipment, hire IT personnel, and create digital literacy programs.