Project purpose: the university of washington (UWT)'S "connect across tacoma: devices, skills, and service expansion for digital equity" project aims to address digital divides in tacoma, WA,…

The University of Washington received a $2.96 million project grant award from the Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration under the Connecting Minority Communities Pilot Program to address digital divides in Tacoma, Washington through February 2025. The grant will fund the expansion of broadband access, device distribution, digital skills training, and capacity building for minority communities. Key activities include distributing tablets and laptops to students and patrons in need; enrolling households in broadband subscriptions; and training students and patrons as "Digital Stewards" through a 14-week internship program. As a subrecipient, Black Brilliance Research LLC will provide training, participate in device and service programs, conduct outreach, and assist with evaluation. The goal is to increase robust participation in remote learning and civic engagement by developing digital skills and jobs in high-wage technology fields.

Project purpose: the university of washington (UWT)'S "connect across tacoma: devices, skills, and service expansion for digital equity" project aims to address digital divides in tacoma, WA, improving broadband access, adoption, and education for students of the university of washington tacoma and patrons in its anchor community. UWT aims to expand access to internet-enabled devices for in-need students and patrons; expand access to internet service for in-need students and patrons; provide digital skills training to in-need students and patrons; and build the community capacity to create sustainable, community-driven digital equity solutions for minority communities.activities: the proposed project will involve three main components: device distribution, service enrollment, and digital stewards training. First, tablets and laptops will be purchased, catalogued, and distributed to in-need students and patrons by the black brilliance research (BBR) team. Second, the program will enroll households with internet subscriptions who would not otherwise have home broadband service. Third, the digital stewards training program will train students and patrons as digital stewards, and a 14-week internship in which a subset of those stewards will deliver digital literacy training, user support, and broadband adoption support to the broader student and anchor community, including participants in the device distribution program and the service enrollment program.outcomes: through the technology distribution and service enrollment programs, the university of washington will increase the number of in-need students and patrons who have adequate access to digital devices and connection to high-speed internet. From this connectivity, UWT and BBR hope to build digital skills that result in students and patrons being able to participate robustly in online activities, including remote learning and civic participation. The training program will develop students into digital stewards, equipped with the skills, knowledge, and certifications that will lead to high-wage jobs and strong communities. Trainees' skills will be measured through hands-on and online learning, as part of the class design.beneficiaries: direct beneficiaries of the proposed project include students and patrons of the university of washington in tacoma, WA. Additional beneficiaries include the university of washington tacoma itself, which will benefit from the increased capacity of its students to engage in remote learning, and collaborating community organizations that will assist with outreach who will similarly benefit from the increased capacity of their members and patrons to engage digitally with their programming and services. Students and patrons who are not selected to be participants for device distribution or service enrollment may still benefit from the advising they receive from digital stewards interns, who will provide digital skills workshops and individually help potential participants navigate existing device access programs and internet subsidy programs for which they may qualify.subrecipient activities: the black brilliance research project is an MBE and a subrecipient of federal funds for this project. The black brilliance research project's scope of work includes providing training instruction, participating in device distribution and service enrollment, conducting outreach, and conducting evaluation.