The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration has announced that it has awarded 12 grants as part of the Connecting Minority Communities Pilot Program. These grants, totaling more than $33.5 million, will expand community technology hubs, upgrade classroom technology, and increase digital literacy skills at 12 minority-serving colleges and universities in 10 states.
“The Internet is essential for access to work, to education, to healthcare, and to justice,” said Alan Davidson, the assistant secretary of Commerce for communications and information. “Our Connecting Minority Communities program is about equipping students and the surrounding communities with the skills, the devices, and the capacity needed to reap the full benefits of our digital economy.”
The following historically Black colleges and universities are among the 12 educational institutions receiving grants.
Trenholm State Community College in Montgomery, Alabama ($2,066,454)
Simmons College in Louisville, Kentucky ($2,762,100)
Coppins State University in Baltimore, Maryland ($3,990,880)
Elizabeth City State University in North Carolina ($2,131,383)
Saint Augustine’s University in Raleigh, North Carolina ($1,943,715)
Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio ($3,000,000)
Lincoln University of Pennsylvania ($2,998,304)
