MATSUI, SACRAMENTO STATE, ANNOUNCE NEARLY $3 MILLION IN FEDERAL FUNDING TO SUPPORT REGIONAL DIGITAL EQUITY EFFORTS
SACRAMENTO, CA – Today, Congresswoman Doris Matsui (D-CA) and Sacramento State announced nearly $3 million in federal funding to expand digital equity outreach efforts in the Sacramento region. Sacramento State will use the funds to form the Sacramento Regional Consortium for Digital Equity, a partnership with Sacramento State, Sacramento City College, Cosumnes River College, Valley Vision, and other community-based organizations, to amplify outreach to at-risk communities struggling with digital exclusion.
The Consortium will work to apply a digital navigator program in the Lemon Hill community. By training Sacramento State and Sacramento City College students as digital navigator interns, and deploying them to community anchor institutions, the students will serve as teaching assistants and mentors in digital learning spaces to help connect residents with vital resources.
“Regardless of age, zip code, or income level, Sacramentans need to be able to get online,” said Congresswoman Matsui. “With these federal funds, we are reaching deeper into our community and establishing a powerful new tool grounded in equity and focused on providing for our region’s families. Simply put, digital literacy and inclusion determine who gets to participate and succeed in the 21st Century economy. That’s what I am such a strong advocate for our local innovators like Sacramento State and their partners, who know that in order to create positive change, we need to take a broad-based approach that addresses historical access barriers and lifts up underserved communities. There is no time to waste to make sure that all Sacramentans have the connections they need to thrive.”
“Sacramento State is thrilled that the NTIA saw the value in our proposal to help close the digital divide in Lemon Hill, and we greatly appreciate Congresswoman Matsui’s support,” said Sacramento State President Robert S. Nelsen. “As an Anchor University, we look forward to working with our partners, including Sacramento City College, the Greater Sacramento Urban League, La Familia Counseling Center, and Valley Vision in a lasting way to form the Sacramento Regional Consortium for Digital Equity to promote digital inclusion and improve broadband access. Our work will provide more families with access to broadband and a computer, increase educational attainment, and grow the neighborhood’s economy.”
“The formation of the Sacramento Regional Consortium for Digital Equity represents a collaboration between Sacramento State and community partners, where trained students will serve as Digital Navigator Interns,” said Yvonne Harris, Associate Vice President, Research, Innovation, and Economic Development, Sacramento State. “Interns will work with partner anchor institutions to provide outreach to communities struggling with digital exclusion. These digitally marginalized communities are home to hundreds of students and families, each of which has their own unique internet needs and challenges. Digital Navigator Interns will engage in one-on-one relationships that will build trust and reach deep into the community that is their home in order to leave a lasting impact.”
Sacramento State was awarded $2,997,092 in total. The funding comes from the National Telecommunications Information Administration’s Connecting Minority Communities Pilot Program. The Connecting Minority Communities Pilot Program is a $268 million grant program to Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Tribal Colleges and Universities, and Minority-Serving Institutions for the purchase of broadband internet access service and eligible equipment or to hire and train information technology personnel. It was created and funded by the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021.
As Vice Chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Communications and Technology Subcommittee and Co-Chair of the Congressional High-Tech Caucus, Congresswoman Matsui has been a national leader on policies to close the digital divide. She was a key proponent of the Federal Communications Commission’s Emergency Broadband Benefit Program (now the Affordable Connectivity Program), which provides financial support to low-income Americans for broadband service and certain devices. She recently introduced the Digital Equity Foundation Act, legislationthat would establish a nonprofit foundation to leverage public and private investments to make critical progress on digital equity, digital inclusion, and digital literacy.
# # #