The National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s Office of Minority Broadband Initiatives released its first annual report to commemorate a year of increasing high-speed internet access in minority areas.
This report, mandated by the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021, lists the successes of OMBI's first year in operation, identifies obstacles to high-speed internet access in minority communities and describes the office's role in attaining digital equity throughout the country, according to a Nov. 3 news release.
“The first OMBI annual report marks a milestone in our mission to address high-speed internet deployment challenges in vulnerable communities,” NTIA Administrator Alan Davidson said in the release. “The newly created Office of Minority Broadband Initiatives will lead the way to ensure that these critical anchor institutions and the communities they serve have access to high-speed, affordable internet service.”
Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Tribal Colleges and Universities, Minority Serving Institutions and their surrounding anchor communities are encouraged to adopt equitable broadband access practices, the release reported. OMBI, which was established in August 2021 within NTIA's Office of Internet Connectivity and Growth, is the Department of Commerce's leader in this effort. These institutions are powerful accelerators for the growth of high-speed Internet service due to their decades of support for minority students and their communities.
OICG Associate Administrator Doug Kinkoph said by working with these colleges and universities that serve as the heartbeat of their communities, they can “quickly pinpoint the barriers to availability, affordability and adoption of high-speed internet service in minority communities and promote initiatives that can mitigate these challenges,” according to the release.
