INCOMPAS News -- March 29, 2021

Vol. 17, No. 12

March 29, 2021

IMPACT ACT Brings Jobs of the Future, to Help Close Digital Divide

Sens. Roger Wicker (R-MS), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) and Tim Scott (R-SC), last week introduced the Improving Minority Participation and Careers in Telecommunications (IMPACT) Act.

The legislation would create a grant program through the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) that would award $100 million in grants to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs), and minority-serving institutions to develop job training programs to educate and train students to participate in the telecommunications workforce.

The IMPACT Act would:

Create the “Telecommunications Workforce Training Grant Program,” which the NTIA would use to award $100 million in grants to HBCUs/TCUs/minority-serving Institutions to develop telecommunications job-training programs that would educate and train students to participate in the telecommunications workforce.
Require schools to apply for grants in order to partner with industry (or an organization with experience providing workforce training to the telecommunications industry) to develop these programs, to ensure students have the skills they need for the workforce.
Allow schools to use the grants to hire and train faculty, design and develop the curriculum, pay for costs associated with instruction, fund internships and apprenticeships, and recruit and support students.
Require schools to include a plan to increase female participation in the program.
Require that NTIA award at least 30% of the grant funds to HBCUs, and another 30% to TCUs, to ensure equitable distribution of funds.
Require reporting to ensure schools use funds as required, that they are training students appropriately, and that students are securing employment in the telecommunications industry.

“Networks of the future create jobs of the future. The bipartisan IMPACT Act from Sens. Roger Wicker, Krysten Sinema, and Tim Scott places workforce training at the center of the fight to close the digital divide by making career-building opportunities available to our Historic Black Colleges and Tribal Communities. Building a new, diverse telecommunications workforce is critical to deploying the internet to all communities and winning the race to 5G," said INCOMPAS CEO Chip Pickering.

“We thank the Senators for their leadership, and look forward to working to pass and implement future deployment and workforce policy.”

Senators Reintroduce Broadband Infrastructure Bill

Sens. Joe Manchin (D-WV) and John Cornyn (R-TX) reintroduced the Eliminate the Digital Divide Act, which would distribute $10 billion to states to build out broadband infrastructure in unserved areas, create a process to deliver funds directly to states based on their proportion of unserved areas and include a $1 billion set-aside for high-cost areas.

The bill also would require the FCC to update their coverage maps to reflect the Broadband Data Act, and allow local and state governments to challenge the FCC maps.

Bill Introduced to Provide

$6 Billion More for EBB

Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) announced that he and 15 other Democratic Senators introduced legislation that would authorize an additional $6 billion for the Emergency Broadband Benefit Program to accommodate high demand during the pandemic.

Sen. Wyden said the bill also speeds up benefit approvals by providing funding to help states participate in the national Lifeline eligibility verifier and requiring the FCC to coordinate with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to set up automated connections between the national verifier and the National Accuracy Clearinghouse for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

Sen. Shaheen Joins Introduction of Rural Broadband Bill

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) joined Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Kevin Cramer (R-ND) in reintroducing the Keeping Critical Connections Act to help small broadband providers ensure rural broadband connectivity for students and their families during the coronavirus pandemic. This legislation would appropriate $2 billion for a Keeping Critical Connections fund at the FCC under which small broadband providers with fewer than 250,000 customers could be compensated for broadband services under certain conditions.

NTIA to Host Webinars on Broadband Grant Programs

The NTIA announced that it will host a webinar series in connection with the three new broadband grant programs authorized and funded by the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021: the Broadband Infrastructure program; the Tribal Broadband Connectivity program; and the Connecting Minority Communities program.

NTIA said the webinars are designed to help prospective applicants understand the grant programs and assist applicants to prepare high-quality grant applications. The schedule of webinars include:

Broadband Infrastructure Program: The second Wednesday and Thursday of each month, 2:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. ET, starting April 14, 2021.
Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program: The third Wednesday and Thursday of each month, 2:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. ET, starting April 21, 2021.
Connecting Minority Communities: The fourth Wednesday and Thursday of each month, 2:30 p.m. 4:00 p.m. ET, starting April 28, 2021.

To register, visit the BroadbandUSA website, and go to Events.