NTIA Awards $9 Mn to Nevada to Advance Digital Inclusion

The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has awarded more than $9 million to Nevada to implement its Digital Equity Plan. 

Nevada became the first recipient of funding under the $1.44 billion State Digital Equity Capacity Grant Program, established as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law's suite of Digital Equity Act grant programs.

“In Nevada and across the country, President Biden’s Investing in America agenda is lowering the cost of accessing the Internet - whether it’s bringing affordable connections to homes, or making digital skills and devices more accessible. The Biden-Harris Administration's digital equity programs are a commitment to ensuring that as we connect everyone in America to the Internet, they can make the most of that connection,” U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo said in a press release.

The funding is part of the “Internet for All” initiative, a key component of President Biden’s “Investing in America” agenda.

Under the initiative, NTIA will provide states with funds to implement their digital equity plans, which outline how states will empower individuals and communities with the necessary tools and skills they need to benefit from meaningful access to reliable and high-speed Internet service.  

NTIA also initiated the inaugural Notice of Funding Opportunity for the Digital Equity Act's State Digital Equity Capacity Grant Program, providing over $800 million for states, Puerto Rico, the District of Columbia, and U.S. Territories to seek grants for executing digital equity plans formulated under the State Digital Equity Planning Grant Program.

Earlier this year, the NTIA also granted $ 42 million to the Public Wireless Supply Chain Innovation Fund.

This grant will support a collaborative effort between U.S. and international carriers, universities, and equipment suppliers to create a testing, evaluation, and research hub in the Dallas Technology Corridor, along with a satellite facility in the Washington, D.C. area.