More than $1.25 billion soon will be available to help underserved groups across the country connect to high-speed internet to access jobs, health care, education and other essential activities that are now difficult to complete without reliable internet.
Alan Davidson, an assistant secretary in the U.S. Department of Commerce, announced that the department on Wednesday had opened up more than $900 million of that funding, to be awarded and out the door by the end of the year. Davidson made the announcement in the Hill District, a neighborhood with a high proportion of Black and low-income residents who could benefit from the funding.
Although Pittsburgh is best known for its work underlying the nation’s physical infrastructure, it has in recent years become known as well for its technological prowess and focus on digital equity — the effort to make high-speed internet accessible to all.
“We've been talking about the digital divide in this country for over 25 years,” he said. “But now, thanks to the Biden-Harris administration's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we finally have the resources to do something serious about it.”
Federal and state agencies are already working to allocate more than $40 billion of infrastructure funding to build and connect fiber optic lines to places that typically haven’t had such access. The grant program Davidson announced Wednesday is intended to provide additional support for disadvantaged groups to make use of this expanded access.
“We know that a connection alone is not enough,” Davidson said. “Americans also need devices. They need skills. They need to know how to thrive online.”
For example, the grant funds can be used to teach technological literacy to elderly residents. They can be used to provide hotspots to families that don’t have secure housing. Or the funding could be used to help people with disabilities, such as those with vision or hearing impairments, to obtain technologies that offer better access to the internet.
“We need to go even further if we're going to connect that last mile, particularly to reach groups that have not traditionally had good access,” said Lael Brainard, the director of the National Economic Council at the White House.
On June 1, around 40,000 residents in Allegheny County recently lost access to subsidized internet access that had been paid for with pandemic relief funding, which Pittsburgh officials said underscores the need for this additional funding.
The grant program is directed at households earning 150% of the poverty level or less; older individuals; formerly incarcerated individuals, veterans, people with disabilities, people with a language barrier, people who are members of a racial or ethnic minority group; and people who live in a rural area.
“It might mean providing laptops and hot spots for veterans. It might mean helping aging populations learn how to visit a doctor from the comfort of their home to use telehealth,” Davidson said. “It could mean helping a family farmer use new and evolving technologies to better manage their crops.”
A variety of organizations can apply for the funding, including government agencies, nonprofit organizations and private corporations. Davidson urged smaller groups to apply together as partnerships and to apply early.
Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey said he thinks Black and low-income residents in Pittsburgh have the most need for the funds.
“We understand that if we're going to raise them up out of poverty, then we have to prepare them for the digital economy, and this is a great opportunity to do it,” Gainey said.
The grants will cover up to 90% of project costs. Successful applicants will have four years to spend their grant funds. Applications are due Sept. 23.
“Don't wait till the last minute to apply,” Davidson said. “This is going to be a very competitive program. You don't want to be the person whose technology failed at the last minute and wasn't able to get their application in on time.”
