COVID-19 has brought to the forefront the inequities that exist in America, particularly seen in the disparate impact the pandemic has had on low income communities and minorities. With the goal of addressing the root causes of this disparity, the Internet Society established a new grant program to further broadband initiatives touching on education, employment and social welfare in the southeastern United States.
This initiative is spurred by data from Microsoft that estimates more than half of Americans are without access to high-speed broadband. This huge gap is particularly present in rural and low-income urban areas. In particular, the southeastern United States is behind the rest of the U.S. in terms of access to the Internet, with 76.9% of households reporting access compared to the 81.9% national average.
The Internet Society will distribute the $1 million in grants ranging from $125,000 to $180,000 to organizations and entities, focusing on indigenous populations, low income earners and communities of color in these states: Alabama, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia, as well as Washington, D.C.
The Society recognizes that the Internet is an “essential infrastructure for all communities“ and its absence contributes to inequities. The pandemic brought this issue to the forefront as organizations, institutions and others moved online. Many quickly realized that essential necessities and opportunities now online were being lost by large segments of the U.S. population that have limited or no access to the Internet. The grant program is intended to expand broadband access in local underserved communities by providing complementary Internet connectivity solutions to their infrastructure.
Titled “Expanding Potential in Communities” or “Truist EPIC Grant”, the grant is part of Truist Cares, a cooperative effort between Truist Financial Corporation, Truist Foundation, Inc., and Truist Charitable Fund. These organizations are providing disaster relief and assistance during the COVID-19 crisis.
“We must all work to make high-speed broadband available to everyone who needs it. It’s the engine for building strong and sustainable communities and a resource that requires immediate investment,” said Lynette Bell, president of the Truist Foundation.
Technical eligibility includes a minimum existing broadband bandwidth of 25/3 Mbps and the ability to execute starting April 2021 through December 2021 in the states designated. Communities will be evaluated on four criteria categories: Community, Technical, Policy and Financials/Sustainability.
The Truist EPIC Grant application process started January 25th and ends Feb. 19th. More information and applications are available at www.Internetsociety.org/grants/epic/
