CPUC Accepting Grant Applications To Help Bridge the Educational Digital Divide
The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), in its ongoing commitment to increase broadband adoption statewide, is accepting applications for its Digital Divide Grant Program, which will provide four grants of up to $250,000 each.
Eligible projects will serve a beneficiary school located in an urban or rural low-income small school district. Beneficiary schools must have a Free and Reduced-Price Meal participation rate of at least 50 percent. Projects may address physical gaps in local broadband networks, affordability, access to personal devices, and digital skills training. Projects must provide a holistic solution including, but not limited to, the following:
- Student home broadband connection
- Student required hardware (e.g., laptop, notebook and/or hotspots)
- Student curriculum focused on the use of technology
- Software to enable distance learning for student and teacher
- Training for teachers in the use of technology for distance learning
Grant recipients must be a non-profit community-based organization (CBO) with a demonstrated record of work in addressing the digital divide. The CBO will partner with an eligible public school or district to deploy the project. The beneficiary of the project will be the partner public school or district. The CPUC will evaluate and score applications to the DDGP and award grants for up to four projects using the competitive process described in CPUC Resolution T-17770.
The application window will close on January 11, 2023.
The Digital Divide Grant Program is funded by a percentage of fees collected from leasing certain state-owned property to wireless telecommunications service providers as wireless telecommunications facilities, pursuant to Government Code Section 14666.8.
For more information on the Digital Divide Grant Program, including a list of eligible schools, CBO eligibility criteria, the application process, schedules, and forms, please visit www.cpuc.ca.gov/ddgp.
The CPUC regulates services and utilities, protects consumers, safeguards the environment, and assures Californians’ access to safe and reliable utility infrastructure and services. For more information on the CPUC, please visit www.cpuc.ca.gov.
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