Historically Black Colleges and Universities Play a Key Role in States' Digital Equity Plans

Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) are community anchors with the influence and expertise that states need as they prepare for unprecedented federal broadband funding to equitably close the digital divide in the United States. That was the crux of the conversation at an August 23 webinar hosted by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) where federal officials and community advocates highlighted how HBCUs and other Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs) can advocate for and include their communities in states’ broadband funding plans for the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act's (IIJA) programs. Through the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program and the Digital Equity Act (DEA), both established by the IIJA, US states, territories, and tribes are now in the process of developing comprehensive initial proposals to achieve internet access for all. Community anchors are a key part of that planning process, including HBCUs.