The fund aims to bring technology and services to members of households with an income at or below 150 percent of the poverty level, people who primarily reside in rural areas, people with disabilities, incarcerated people in state or local facilities, members of racial or ethnic minority groups, people ages 60 and older, and English learners who have low levels of literacy, according to a summary document from the program’s website.
Regarding how the grant money can be spent, the primer outlines five uses, which range from developing and implementing digital inclusion activities that benefit one or more of the covered populations to providing the equipment and services necessary to bring Internet access to these populations at low or no cost.
A news release from Sen. Patty Murray, who introduced the Digital Equity Act in 2019, states that public schools as well as community and technical colleges can use the competitive grant funds to integrate technology literacy into their curriculums and to expand access to devices, Internet service and digital skills training.
NTIA will distribute the first and largest portion of the grant program, $1 billion, among grant proposals submitted between now and Sept. 23. The federal notice of funding opportunity from NTIA states that the agency expects to begin issuing grants on a rolling basis as early as winter 2024 and no later than April 20, 2025. The document also estimates the first round will issue 150 to 200 grants at $5 million to $12 million apiece, most of which will require a minimum of 10 percent in matching funds.
The competitive grant program is the last of three funding programs created under the $2.75 billion Digital Equity Act, which was passed into law as part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act in November 2021.
“The global competitiveness of our country relies on how well we harness the talents and strengths of all parts of the country, especially those Americans who have been historically underserved, under-resourced and overlooked,” Deputy Commerce Secretary Don Graves said in a public statement. “Our pursuit of digital equity and inclusion can ensure that everyone, regardless of their background or location, has access to affordable, reliable, high-speed Internet service and digital skills.”
