Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021
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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.
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Biden-Harris Administration Awards $143 Million in Grants to Expand Broadband Internet Access on Tribal Lands on West Coast
The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) awarded $143,639,693.50 in funds from the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 to Tribes in California and Washington.The awards provide funds for high-speed internet infrastructure deployment projects through the Internet for All Initiative’s Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program for the Hoopa Valley Tribal Council and Yurok Telecommunications in California and the Spokane Tribe of Indians in Washington.
Pine Ridge, Rosebud reservations receive $70 million broadband grant
The Rosebud Indian Reservation and the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota will have their own broadband services after being awarded an almost $70 million federal grant that officials predict will connect 3,300 homes. The money will come from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration's Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program (TBCP). The funding can also be used for telehealth, distance learning, broadband affordability, and digital inclusion.
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Biden-Harris Administration Awards $119 Million in “Internet for All” Grants to Tribal Lands in Five States
The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) awarded seven grants totaling over $118.8 million as part of the Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program. These grants will fund high-speed internet infrastructure deployment, use, and adoption projects to improve connectivity across Tribal lands. The awarded tribal lands are as follows:
Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians receive $8.43 million grant for broadband connectivity
The Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians has received an $8.43 million Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program (TBCP) grant from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to pay for the Tribe’s broadband program. It will provide high-speed internet access across Choctaw Tribal lands. The Tribe applied for the grant in the fall of 2021. The money will be used in part towards the Tribe’s partnership with MaxxSouth Broadband to expand the broadband service to over 2,000 tribal homes in six of the eight tribal communities.
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Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology Connects Rural Students and Trains Fiber Technicians
On July 22, 2022, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s (NTIA) first Connecting Minority Communities Pilot Program (CMC) grants were announced totaling over $10 million in funds for five minority-serving colleges and universities.