From the Office of Broadband Development…
Updates From the Office of Broadband Development
- Register today: Weekly webinar series continues in April from OBD
- Minnesota’s Digital Opportunity Plan: Approved!
- NTIA releases State Digital Equity Capacity Grant NOFO
- Welcome to our new staff in the Office of Broadband Development!
Weekly webinar series kicks off in April from the Office of Broadband Development
Register today for the Broadband Development Tuesday Training Series: Navigating PLUS (Permitting, Land Use, and State Systems).
This series will take place Tuesdays in April, 10-11:30am. Agency experts will provide an overview of their agency, and information on current processes, timelines, goals, and best practices working on broadband projects and with broadband grantees.
Register for sessions below:
- April 16th, Break no presentation this week
- April 23rd: Joint presentation from Minnesota Indian Affairs Council (MIAC), Minnesota Historical Society (MNHS), and the Office of the State Archaeologist (OSA), register here
- April 30th: Department of Natural Resources (DNR), register here
Content from the series is recorded and posted to the Office of Broadband Development’s webpage.
Minnesota’s Digital Opportunity Plan: Approved!
On March 26, NTIA approved Minnesota’s Digital Opportunity Plan. This plan outlines steps the state will take, using a forthcoming NTIA State Digital Equity Capacity Grant, to advance digital opportunities statewide. To read the full plan, please visit OBD’s Digital Opportunity website. During the coming weeks, we’ll use this newsletter space to walk through the plan section by section.
NTIA releases State Digital Equity Capacity Grant NOFO
On Friday, March 29, NTIA released the State Digital Equity Capacity Grant NOFO, making available federal funds to implement Minnesota’s Digital Opportunity Plan. As the state’s eligible entity for this award, OBD is charged with preparing Minnesota’s application. Funds are being doled out in three installments; Minnesota is slated to receive $12,033,288 in this first round. More information will be available later this spring.
Samantha Ernst, Broadband Grants Specialist
Samantha has previously worked in the non-profit sector managing state and federal grants to support programing related to education, environment and healthy futures. She is excited to apply her knowledge of grants and project management to the exciting work happening at OBD.
In her spare time, she enjoys going on adventures and spending time with her husband, three dogs and cat!