The Biden administration announced more than $10 million in grants on July 22 to expand high speed internet for minority serving universities and colleges across the country.
The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has awarded the first five grants as part of the Connecting Minority Communities (CMC) Pilot Program.
“America’s minority serving college and universities are bedrock learning centers that have too often been left behind when it comes to accessing affordable high-speed internet,” said Deputy Secretary of Commerce Don Graves. “The Connecting Minority Communities Pilot Program enables these institutions to be a resource for access, digital skills training, and workforce development programs for students and the community to help level the economic playing field.”
Institutions that have been awarded these grants include Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs), Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs), and Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs).
NTIA thoroughly reviewed over 200 different applications that went over a three-stage process and will continue to review other applications on a rolling basis for additional rewards.
“If we charge forward into the digital age without making efforts to increase internet access, we will be leaving low-income communities and communities of color behind,” said Congressman Mondaire Jones, D-N.Y. “We cannot, and will not, let this happen. The Commerce Department, along with many others, are doing incredible work every day to promote digital equity in marginalized communities on the state and local level.”
