Today the Office of Broadband Development gave a presentation…

The Digital Equity Act supports initiatives that increase access to digital opportunities, including affordable internet service, device ownership, and digital skills training. In this webinar, OBD will share an update on future digital opportunity grant programs and recap the collaborative work that’s carried this process forward.

News from the presentation:

NTIA just announced just announced awards. They will have more rounds of funding. Two of the 24 winners are in Hmong American Association and MNSCU.

Questions:

When will you make decisions about funding?
It depends on who applies for noncompetitive grants. We expect that not all counties will apply. Mid to late 2025, we should know more about competitive grants.

Is there a chance that Trump will eliminate this funding?
So are anxious but we’re focused on the work in front of us and we have been approved for $12 million. We’ll see what happens.

Do we know about any low income subsidies for broadband?
When ACP added we were hopeful something else would replace it. We don’t know. You can ask your congressional delegate. You may see other states do other things. Every state is doing their own thing. Some states have more money than they need; we do not.

Will nonprofits be considered for noncompetitive rounds?
If they partner with an organization that is approved. We don’t have the staff to handle more.

Slides: