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Connecting Minority Communities Pilot Program

The Connecting Minority Communities (CMC) Pilot Program is a $268 million grant program to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs), and Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs) for the purchase of broadband internet access service and eligible equipment or to hire and train information technology personnel.  NITA’s Office of Minority Broadband Initiatives (OMBI), established by the CAA 2021, administers the CMC program. CMC seeks to expand educational instruction and remote learning opportunities, spur economic development, and create opportunities for employment and entrepreneurship, by building the digital capacity of the eligible institutions and furthering broadband access, adoption, and digital skills within those institutions and in their surrounding anchor communities.  

Eligible funding recipients for CMC include HBCUs, TCUs, MSIs, or a consortium led by one of those institutions.  

 Eligible uses of funds include: 

  • Upgrading classroom technology
  • Purchasing or leasing eligible equipment and devices for student or patron use
  • Purchasing of Internet access service, including the installation or upgrade of broadband facilities
  • Hiring and training information technology personnel who are part of the eligible institution
  • Workforce development and digital literacy skills
  • Expanding community technology hubs

Click here for the most up-to-date information on the Connecting Minority Communities program.

 

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From Intern to Career Advisor: Workforce Development in Southern Los Angeles

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By: Maya C. James

Estephanie (Stephanie) Solano sees herself as a vessel for change.

A recent graduate of California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH), Solano currently works as a career advisor at Goodwill in southern Los Angeles, where she helps connect community members with job opportunities and resources.

Her pathway to her current role emerged not only from her desire to counsel vulnerable populations, but from a paid internship through an NTIA-funded workforce development program.  

NTIA awarded CSUDH $5.3 million from the Connecting Minority Communities Pilot Program to improve access to high-speed Internet service, devices, digital literacy training, and paid workforce development training. Part of this grant funded the Workforce Integrated Network (WIN) program, which Solano participated in during her third and final year of college.

“I applied right away,” Solano said after learning about the program from a professor. “Being a single mom and a student made it hard for me to participate in other programs and clubs on campus, so I knew I needed some sort of work experience and school participation.”

After successfully applying for the program, Solano worked as a teaching assistant for a Goodwill digital literacy skills course in Long Beach, CA. Between teaching someone how to use a mouse for the first time, to helping locals learn how to use Microsoft Office products, Solano says her work opened her eyes to the variety of people who were interested in upskilling.

Pioneers of Change at Universidad Ana G. Mendez, Carolina Campus

October 3, 2024

By: Shirley “Mel” Reyes Moret, Federal Program Officer, Connecting Minority Communities Pilot Program 

NTIA celebrates National Hispanic Heritage Month by showcasing one of our Internet for All grantees that embodies this year’s theme: "Pioneers of Change: Shaping the Future Together." At Universidad Ana G. Méndez, Carolina Campus (UAGM-CC) principal investigator and agent of change Dr. Luis Rosario-Albert leads the effort to connect Carolina County, Puerto Rico residents to Internet services and digital skills training through the UAGCM-CC Broadband Digital Inclusion Project (BDIP).

Carolina County, the third-largest county in Puerto Rico, has faced significant economic and technological challenges in recent years. The county had a 2023 unemployment rate of 52.1% and a median household income of $35,391 – well below the national median of $80,610. Additionally, only 59.3% of county residents owned a desktop computer or laptop. These harsh realities drove Dr. Rosario-Albert to assess the educational and technological resources in the county’s three community centers, where he discovered that none had an active Internet service subscription.  

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