What States Should Know as Federal Digital Equity Money Arrives

The White House has taken its first steps toward distributing $45 billion of federal money aimed at getting the entire country connected to high-speed Internet, with President Biden inviting governors to start applying for these funds. A challenge nationwide, however, is that state governments have until recently lacked broadband offices or even a single full-time employee dedicated to the work, said Angela Siefer, executive director of the National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA). Many have added resources after the pandemic made it clear how important it was to have unfettered access to high-speed Internet, but most states remain understaffed or under-experienced. With that in mind, Siefer said that the NDIA is rapidly rolling out resources to help states understand their opportunities for funding, as well as how to apply for that funding and best practices for how to put it to work. NDIA has new resources around the sources of the funding, the types of grants it will go through and more. The group is also offering a series of webinars about the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment and Digital Equity Act programs, which are two of the primary programs for distributing the funding. Siefer said it was important for states to realize that this money alone will not fix their digital equity problems, at least not permanently. States need to approach this funding thoughtfully, ensuring the money is well spent and doing so in a way that changes systems. Another piece of advice for the states is to make sure to engage partners on the local level.