Digital Divide

The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has accepted Alaska’s Digital Equity plan. The Digital Equity Act, part of the Internet for All initiative and a key piece of President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda, provides $2.75 billion to establish three grant programs that promote digital equity and inclusion. The program aims to ensure that all people and communities have the skills, technology, and capacity needed to reap the full benefits of our digital economy.

The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has accepted Maryland ‘s Digital Equity plan. The Digital Equity Act, part of the Internet for All initiative and a key piece of President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda, provides $2.75 billion to establish three grant programs that promote digital equity and inclusion.

The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has accepted Alabama’s Digital Equity plan. The Digital Equity Act, part of the Internet for All initiative and a key piece of President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda, provides $2.75 billion to establish three grant programs that promote digital equity and inclusion.

As soon as May, more than 23 million US households––currently receiving Affordable Connectivity Program funding––risk being kicked off their internet plans or facing skyrocketing bills that force them to pay hundreds more per year to get online, according to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

Guam's Office of Infrastructure Policy and Development (OIPD) has released its draft Digital Equity Plan. In the vastness of the Pacific Ocean, the island of Guam, an unincorporated territory of the United States, emerges as a testament to resilience, unity, and evolution. Its history is a rich tapestry of cultures, forged by the perseverance of its indigenous people and the influences of various settlers and conquerors throughout the millennia. The journey of Guam has been one of transformation.

The Colorado Broadband Office announced additional grants using stimulus funding from the US Treasury’s Capital Projects Fund (CPF) program. As a result of the Advance-CPF Challenge Process, some of the previously awarded projects were reduced in size, leading to additional availability of funding. Subsequently, five new projects were awarded. The five new projects are:

A $15 million grant from the Illinois Office of Broadband will make Kendall County’s plan to provide high-speed internet to nearly all residents of the County possible. Kendall County announced that with the grant award, it intends to develop a public-private partnership that will result in more than $40 million in investment in a community-owned broadband network.

In a March 19 letter to the Federal Communications Commission, the National Urban League (NUL), National Coalition on Black Civic Participation (NCBCP), and Black Women’s Roundtable (BWR) write to express our strong support for the establishment of an Office of Civil Rights within the FCC.

Every once in a while, a bipartisan group of lawmakers comes together to support a popular policy that fulfills the interests of industry leaders and everyday Americans alike. These instances are supposed to be the slam dunks of legislating, a time for lawmakers to prove they are interested in governing to the advantage of their constituents. It’s all easier said than done.