The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) wants Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs), and Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) to play a key role in the distribution of the Biden-Harris broadband infrastructure dollars, representing over $65 billion in funding.
Alan Davidson, the assistant secretary of commerce for communications and information and NTIA administrator.
The bipartisan infrastructure bill’s “Internet for All” has a clear mission: giving every American steady, affordable broadband access. Davidson said.
Seeing the mission to completion will mean bridging the deep digital divide which disproportionately affects minoritized communities, low-income families, and those living in rural areas. COVID-19 only highlighted these disparities. That’s why the NTIA wants HBCUs, MSIs, and TCUs to step in and share their knowledge of their communities, providing needed guidance to make sure infrastructure funds go to those who need them most.
Dr. Fallon Wilson, co-founder of the #BlackTechFutures Research Institute, housed at HBCU Stillman College, in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, said that the digital divide greatly impacts Black Americans.
“At least 28% of Black people in this country don’t have internet,” said Wilson. “We know that at least 30% on average don’t have computers or laptops."
Technological devices, Wilson added, have become essential in a post-COVID reality, used for remote work, telehealth, or even visiting with family living far away. A working laptop and internet are now a true necessity for college and K-12 students.
