Diversity

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) announced that it has awarded two grants as part of the Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program.

Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information Alan Davidson announced that the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has added $1 billion from President Biden’s Infrastructure investment and Jobs Act to the current Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program funding period, which closes September 1, 2022. NTIA already received more than 300 applications during the application window for over $5 billion in funding requests.

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) announced an agreement to coordinate responsibilities in ensuring compliance with environmental, historic preservation, and cultural resources requirements related to the Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program. This collaboration allows high-speed internet service to be deployed quickly while also ensuring safeguards to protect Native lands and interests.

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) announced that it has awarded two grants as part of the Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program.

A group of organizations and individuals committed to digital equity wrote a letter to US Bank Regulatory Agencies urging them to modernize the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA).

A bicameral group of lawmakers sent a letter to Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel urging the FCC to consider more ways to advance Native communities’ access to and ownership of spectrum over their lands. It was recently estimated that nearly a third of Tribal lands in the United States lacked internet access. Over 1.5 million people living on Tribal lands lack access to broadband services. The COVID-19 pandemic has only exacerbated this disparity, limiting access to telemedicine, virtual and remote learning, and public safety programs, among other services.

Broadband providers are telling the Federal Communications Commission in no uncertain terms to reject calls by cable programmer Fuse Media and public advocacy groups to mandate that those providers collect data on the diversity of the video content vendors they buy programming from, including for their owned or affiliated streaming services which, they point out, are not regulated by the FCC.

This paper presents a history of the digital divide, major steps in closing it, and how we can continue expanding access to transform lives for communities of color. To close the digital divide, policymakers should focus on: 1) further expanding access, 2) increasing adoption, and 3) encouraging skill development.

Broadband is critical to modern life. Despite federal efforts, broadband access on Tribal lands has traditionally lagged behind the rest of the country. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) was asked to review federal efforts for improving broadband on Tribal lands.

The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) announced it has awarded the first five grants as part of the Connecting Minority Communities Pilot Program (CMC). Deputy Secretary of Commerce Don Graves announced the grants at an event in New York with Mercy College, one of the first grant recipients.