Upwards of $268 million will soon be available for broadband connectivity projects at universities and institutions of higher learning located on tribal lands.
The funding is coming through the Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration and is specifically designed to increase both broadband connectivity and access.
The pilot program will additionally target Historically Black Colleges and Universities, or other defined minority-serving institutions.
In a statement, Gina Raimondo, the Secretary of Commerce, remarked that “communities of color have faced systemic barriers to affordable access since the beginning of the digital age.”
Raimondo added that what is being called the Connecting Minority Communities Pilot Program will “help communities that are struggling with access, adoption, and connectivity, and will inform our path forward as we seek to finally close the digital divide across the country.”
In announcing the parameters of the program, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration is also announcing a Notice of Funding Opportunity that contains details regarding how minority institutions can apply for federal funding.
The funding program has a submission deadline of December 1.
There are currently just over forty recognized tribal colleges and universities in the U.S., including Dine College and Tohono O’odham Community College in Arizona; and the Institute of American Indian Arts, the Navajo Technical University, and Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute in New Mexico.
By Garry Boulard
