What is it?

The Digital Equity Act (DEA) established three grant programs aimed at promoting digital equity and inclusion across the United States. The DE A is funded through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021, and includes a total of $2.75 billion for all 50 states. $1.5 billion of that total will be provided to the states in the form of a $60 million State Planning Grant Program designed to help states develop digital equity plans, and a $1.44 billion State Capacity Grant Program that states can use to implement those plans. A further $1.25 billion will be administered by the NTIA as part of a nation-wide Digital Equity Competitive Grant Program. 

What kinds of projects are eligible for funding?

State Digital Equity Planning Grant funds may only be used to develop the State Digital Equity Plan, or to make subgrants to nonprofit and community-based organizations to assist in the development of the State Digital Equity Plan. 

Broadly, this planning process is meant to help states identify barriers to digital equity and outline specific measures aimed at addressing those barriers. Examples of activities that may be involved in the crafting of the digital equity plan include conducting a digital equity needs assessment for the state, developing metrics for tracking progress towards digital inclusion objectives, designing a process for ongoing outreach and engagement with the public and key stakeholders, compiling an asset inventory of current resources and programs, and setting out a timeline and strategy for implementation.

The full requirements for the contents of the State Digital Equity Plan can be found on pages 20-22 of the DEA Notice of Funding Opportunity. 

Importantly, planning funds may not be used to directly fund digital inclusion programming. That is the purpose of the State Digital Equity Capacity Grant Program and Digital Equity Competitive Grant Program, which will not begin until early 2024.

Can this program be used to support digital inclusion work?

Yes. The purpose of this grant is to advance digital inclusion by supporting digital equity planning, building state capacity to undertake digital inclusion programming, and funding the implementation of digital inclusion projects. 

Importantly, not every component of the DEA is designed to fund every type of digital inclusion activity. The State Digital Equity Planning Grant Program is only able to support state-wide planning for digital equity, not the implementation of specific projects. The State Digital Equity Capacity Grant Program and Digital Equity Competitive Grant Program are meant to directly fund digital inclusion work, including constructing or upgrading public access computer centers, facilitating the adoption of broadband, implementing digital training and workforce development programs, and providing digital devices to households.

What organizations are eligible to receive funding?

Only the state may apply for State Digital Equity Planning Grant Program funds. These funds will be received and administered by the state broadband office, who will have primary responsibility for using the funds to undertake the creation of a State Digital Equity Plan. However, the broadband office may choose to make subgrants under the program to local governments, nonprofits, and community institutions in order to assist in the development of the plan. A full list of entities eligible to receive subgrants under the program can be found on page 19 of the DEA Notice of Funding Opportunity.

The NTIA has not yet released guidelines on eligible applicants for the State Digital Equity Capacity Grant Program or Digital Equity Competitive Grant Program, but most categories of nonprofits and community institutions will likely be eligible to apply for funding through these programs once they begin.

What is the timeline?

September 15, 2022: NTIA completes its review, selection of successful applicants, and award processing for the State Digital Equity Planning Grant Program.

September 29, 2022: The earliest start date for awards under the State Digital Equity Planning Grant Program. NTIA may issue awards made under the State Digital Equity Planning Grant Program on a rolling basis. 

October 2022: The state broadband office begins stakeholder engagement for the development of its State Digital Equity Plan, beginning with a series of regional meetings

Fall 2023: Deadline for the state broadband office to complete its digital equity plan (one year after the state receives planning grant funds from NTIA, with the possibility of a 180 day extension). Once the broadband office has completed the digital equity plan, it must submit the finished plan to NTIA for approval.

Winter 2023/2024: State Digital Equity Capacity Grant Program application window opens. States that have completed a State Digital Equity Plan will be eligible to apply for funds to implement the measures outlined in their plan. Funds are awarded annually over 5 years based on each year’s appropriation.

Spring 2024: First State Digital Equity Capacity Grant Program funds awarded, beginning 5-year implementation process begins.

Summer 2024: Digital Equity Competitive Grant Program application window opens. Capacity grant applications begin no later than 30 days after the first State Digital Equity Capacity Grants are awarded.

Fall/Winter 2024: First Digital Equity Competitive Grant Program funds awarded, beginning 4-year implementation process. 

What is the role of community organizations?

Assist in the development of the state digital equity plan

Once the state receives its funding through the State Digital Equity Planning Grant Program, the state broadband office will begin a one year process of developing a state digital equity plan. Through this process, community organizations will have the opportunity to provide their viewpoint on the primary barriers to digital equity in the state, suggest interventions that could help overcome those barriers, and provide any data, research, or resources from their community which may help inform the state plan.

In October, this process will kick off with a series of regional meetings across each state. Community organizations interested in being involved in the creation of this plan should contact the state broadband office and request to be included in the stakeholder engagement process. In Missouri, community organizations interested in being involved in the creation of this plan should contact their local regional planning commission or state extension office, who will be involved in helping the Missouri Office of Broadband Development manage the stakeholder engagement process. In Kansas, community organizations should reach out to the Kansas Office of Broadband Development to request to be included in the stakeholder engagement process.

Prepare for upcoming funding opportunities

The NTIA has not yet released guidelines for the State Digital Equity Capacity Grant Program or Digital Equity Competitive Grant Program. However, most categories of nonprofits and community organizations will presumably be eligible to receive funding through these programs to support their digital inclusion work. In the case of the State Digital Equity Capacity Grant Program, organizations will be applying to the state broadband office for these funds. In the case of the Digital Equity Competitive Grant Program, organizations will be applying directly to the NTIA. Neither of these funding opportunities will become active until early 2024 at the earliest, so groups who are interested in applying for these funds should sign up for updates from NTIA and the state broadband office to receive the latest information about the timeline and requirements for these programs.

In the meantime, local governments, nonprofits, and other community organizations should begin thinking about how to position themselves to take advantage of these programs once they open. In particular, it will be important for organizations to ensure they are aligned with the goals and strategies outlined in the State Digital Equity Plan, which will dictate funding priorities for the State Digital Equity Capacity Grant Program.

Where can I go to find more information?

The NTIA’s website includes extensive information about the application process for the DEA State Digital Equity Planning Program. The most important resources published by NTIA include the DEA Notice of Funding Opportunity and FAQ for the State Digital Equity Planning Grant Program.

NTIA also holds regular webinars providing information about program updates and offering technical assistance to prospective applicants. Recordings of past webinars can be found on NTIA’s website. The most relevant webinars for those interested in learning more about the DEA are the NTIA’s overview of DEA programs, pre-NOFO technical assistance webinar on digital equity and inclusion, and technical assistance webinar on the DEA application process.

The Missouri Office of Broadband Development holds a monthly Broadband Stakeholder Update focused on how the office is approaching new funding opportunities, including the DEA. Missouri community groups can also sign up for email updates about broadband funding here. Kansas community groups can sign up for email updates from the Kansas Office of Broadband Development here.