Individuals who are Members of a Racial or Ethnic Minority Group

When Will Nevada Implement Its Digital Equity Plan?
On June 26, 2024, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) awarded the Nevada Governor's Office of Science, Innovation and Technology (OSIT) over $9 million to implement the state's Digital Equity Plan, the first state to receive funding under the Digital Equity Capacity Grant program.

It’s time to prepare your Digital Equity Competitive Grant Program applications!
On July 24, 2024, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration published the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the Competitive Grant Program. The Competitive Grant Program is the third (and final) set of funds available from the

NTIA Offering Grants So You Can Help Get Covered Populations Online
On July 24, the U.S.
New program offers free high-speed internet access to Osage seniors
Osage senior citizens no longer have to pay for internet access, which means they can more easily enjoy online language classes, telehealth appointments and digital tribal news from the comfort of their own homes. To qualify for the new program through Osage Broadband, participants must be enrolled Osage members and have an active account. They must also live within the tribe’s reservation and be at least 55 years old.

What’s Next for Digital Equity? Preparing for the Competitive Grant Program
As required by the Digital Equity Act, the $1.25 billion Digital Equity Competitive Grant Program will be established soon, making hundreds of millions of dollars available in the first Notice of Funding Opportunity to implement digital inclusion projects. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act mandates that funding be directed towards programs designed to empower those impacted by the digital divide, known as Covered Populations.
How boot camps are helping to address the historic gap in internet access on US tribal lands
Recently participants gathered in a home movie theater on Matthew Rantanen’s ranch in Southern California to shine a beam of light through more than 55,000 feet (17 kilometers) of fiber optic cable coiled up in the corner. The demonstration took place during a hands-on broadband training for tribal nations where participants handled fiber made up of strands of glass as thin as human hair that transmit energy through pulses of light. The session was part of an initiative founded in 2021 by Rantanen and his business partner, Christopher Mitchell, to help shore up historic disparities in conne

FCC to Vote on Emergency Alert Code for Missing & Endangered Persons
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel announced the Commission will vote during its August Open Meeting to adopt a new event code that would deliver critical messages to the public over television and radio about missing and endangered persons.
Impact of the Discontinuation of the Affordable Connectivity Program
In a meeting with officials at the Federal Communications Commission, Recon Analytics shared results of a survey of 4,000 consumer mobile and 4,000 home internet consumers.

Exploring Maine’s State Broadband Initiative, With Brian Allenby
In the fourth installment of the Information Technology & Innovation Foundation’s Access America series, Jess talks to Brian Allenby, program operations and communications director for the Maine Connectivity Authority (MCA). They chat about the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program, Maine's digital equity intensive approach, and how the state has been promoting regional broadband plans and activity. "The Regional Tribal Broadband Partners were convened as a working group to share information at what was happening at that local level.

Leveraging Digital Skills: Immigrant-Origin High School Graduates Offer a Pool of Talent for U.S. Employers
Ninety-two percent of jobs across all U.S. industries require some level of digital skills, the National Skills Coalition estimated in a 2023 study.