NTIA grant will help HSI provide broadband internet access, connectivity, and digital inclusion

POSTED ON Mar 31, 2023

The University of Arizona recently announced that it received a $3 million grant to support students in need and provide digital literacy and workforce development through community organizations.

The grant will purchase technology for the distance education component – including expanded broadband capacity and interactive distance learning equipment such as video infrastructure – and provide necessary support staff.

In addition, with campus partners, university libraries will coordinate an expansion of technology lending services for students most in need, lending remote learning equipment such as Wi-Fi hotspots, laptops, headphones, and web cameras.

Starting in the fall of 2023, students who use the program will no longer have to pick up equipment in person. The tech lending services program will prioritize distance students most in need by considering criteria including Pell Grant eligibility and receiving other need-based financial aid, working with the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid.

The statement said Project CAN, which stands for “Connect Arizona Now: Digital Inclusion for Underserved Students and Communities of Southern Arizona,” will be funded by a two-year grant from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) – an agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce – under the Connecting Minority Communities Pilot Program.

The statement added that UArizona was eligible for the grant due to its designation as a Hispanic-Serving Institution. The project will address the dire need for broadband internet access, connectivity, and digital inclusion in highly diverse, often rural, communities in Southern Arizona.

The statement also said the award is a great example of how UArizona’s Hispanic-Serving Institution designation positively impacts the local community and a diverse cross-section of students in need.

The grant will support the development of multiple projects in southern Arizona, including a family resource center, an education resource center and museum, and a financial empowerment center operated by the Tucson Urban League.

In addition, Cox Communications is partnering to provide broadband internet access for the Dunbar Pavilion, and El Rio Health will collaborate on health and wellness programs at the site.

The Near You Network will outfit classrooms with interactive distance learning equipment, video infrastructure, and associated services and devices while funding additional support staff.

The technologically enhanced classrooms will make a significant difference in closing the achievement gap for distance education students. Click here to read more.