Institutions that are rooted in their local communities by mission, invested capital, or relationships to customers, employees, and vendors.
Community Anchor Institutions
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Biden-Harris Administration Announces Key AI Actions 180 Days Following President Biden’s Landmark Executive Order
In October 2023, President Biden issued a landmark Executive Order to ensure that America leads the way in seizing the promise and managing the risks of artificial intelligence (AI). Since then, agencies all across government have taken vital steps to manage AI’s safety and security risks, protect Americans’ privacy, advance equity and civil rights, stand up for consumers and workers, promote innovation and competition, advance American leadership around the world, and more.
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Sen Dick Durbin Visits Dominican, Meets with Student Digital Navigators
Sen Dick Durbin (D-IL) visited Dominican University to discuss the $2.5 million in federal funding the university received through the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s (NTIA) Connecting Minority Communities Pilot Program that has helped enhance information technology capabilities and close the digital divide for students. Sen Durbin visited one of seven classrooms that, thanks to a portion of the grant proceeds, received technological upgrades to support a hybrid of in-person and remote learning.
This is how we can use AI to empower rural America
AI has become a market imperative for leading American businesses. However, current AI knowledge is largely centered around cities. Meanwhile, in rural America, income inequality has never been higher—nor has the digital divide been more deeply felt.
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2024 National Findings Report: Creating Thriving Communities Through Civic Participation
County Health Rankings & Roadmaps' (CHR&R) 2024 National Findings Report highlights the importance of civic infrastructure and spaces to connect and be informed, with a focus on access to local news, broadband internet and public libraries. CHR&R calls attention to structural barriers like policies, laws and practices that can create obstacles to forms of participation such as voting and worker unionizing. Key findings include:
A digital book ban? High schoolers describe dangers, frustrations of censored web access
There’s a common complaint among high school students across the country, and it has nothing to do with curfews or allowances: Internet filters are preventing them from doing online research at school. School districts must block obscene or harmful images to qualify for federally-subsidized internet access under the Children’s Internet Protection Act, passed by Congress nearly 25 years ago. But the records, from 16 districts across 11 states, show they go much further. Some of the censorship inhibits students’ ability to do basic research on sites like Wikipedia and Quora.
Sen Cruz Leads Amicus Brief Opposing Biden’s Effort to Subsidize TikTok on School Buses
Sen Ted Cruz (R-TX) led his colleagues in filing an amicus brief opposing the Biden administration’s recent decision to expand the Federal Communication Commission’s (FCC) E-Rate program to fund Wi-Fi on school buses. The Fifth Circuit lawsuit, Molak v.
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Biden-Harris Administration Allocates More Than $800 Million to Increase Digital Inclusion Efforts
The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) announced the availability and individual state allocations of approximately $811 million in funding to states, territories, and native entities to empower individuals and communities with the tools, skills, and opportunities to benefit from meaningful access to high-speed Internet service.
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Biden-Harris Administration Announces New Funding to Expand High Speed Internet in New Mexico Tribal Communities as Part of President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda
The Biden-Harris Administration announced the approval of $10 million for multi-purpose facilities in Tribal communities under the US Department of the Treasury’s Capital Projects Fund (CPF), part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda.
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$22 Million Retrofit Program to Expand High-Speed Internet Access in Affordable Housing Statewide
The Massachusetts Broadband Institute (MBI) at MassTech announced the launch of the Residential Internet Retrofit Program, a $22 million statewide initiative to equip public and affordable housing units across the state with high-speed internet for current and future residents.
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The American Rescue Plan: Top Highlights from 3 Years of Recovery
The American Rescue Plan invested in all of America and provided direct relief to every town, city, county, Tribe and state for the first time in American history. The American Rescue Plan included major investments to critical areas, including $25 billion to jumpstart universal broadband access—including Broadband Connections for 18 million students through the Emergency Connectivity Fund so that schools and libraries could close the homework gap.