WASHINGTON, Oct. 30, 2024 – Officials in the Commerce Department announced Wednesday that the state of Minnesota was approved to access more than $12 million in funding to kick off its digital equity programs.
The state’s digital equity program funding came from the federally funded $1.44 billion State Digital Equity Capacity Grant Program. The award was announced by Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration within the U.S. Commerce Department.
Funding for the grant program came from the Biden administration’s 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
Minnesota’s digital equity programs are aimed at providing technology and skills to residents to make the internet more accessible and easily navigated.
The funding came from the first funding round of NTIA’s digital equity program, which allocated more than $800 million to states, territories and tribal entities.