ntia少数族裔宽带倡议框架

Framework for DiscussionThis report provides a framework for dialogue, policy recommendations and strategic goals Executive Summary The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), located within theDepartment of Commerce, is the Executive Branch agency responsible for advising the Presidenton telecommunications and information policy issues. Consistent with recent Executive Ordersand commitments the Department has made under the American Broadband Initiative (ABI) toclose the digital divide, NTIA is increasing minority stakeholder engagement around solvingbroadband access challenges in vulnerable communities. To that end, NTIA has launched theMinority Broadband Initiative (MBI), working with Historically Black Colleges and Universities(HBCUs) to ensure all Americans can participate in the digital economy. The initiative is consistent with the Administration’s commitment to expanding broadbandInternet availability and adoption in rural America. In launching the initiative, NTIA will buildupon its relationships with HBCUs, as community anchor institutions, to leverage minoritystakeholder engagement in finding new opportunities for broadband deployment. HBCUs offerspecific programmatic advantages, including supporting economic growth and competitivenessin anchor communities through high capacity broadband networks and connectivity. The MBIseeks to partner with federal agencies, local government and the private sector to exploreopportunities for broadband expansion across HBCU campuses and surrounding communities. NTIA’s work on this initiative complements theWhite House Initiative on HBCUs, which isdedicated to helping HBCUs successfully compete for top opportunities in national and globalmarkets, while providing education and economic experiences that can improve the standards ofliving for the students and communities HBCUs primarily serve.1NTIA seeks to increase HBCUleadership participation in relevant broadband organizations and federal agency committees,enhance outreach to improve HBCU participation in federal agency broadband programs, andensure their inclusion in the broadband stakeholder ecosystems and grant opportunities. NTIA’s MBI aims to achieve the following broad strategic policy objectives: (1) Convening a forum where stakeholders can explore options for leveraging HBCUbroadband infrastructure to connect neighboring communities of vulnerable populations;and (2) Using broadband infrastructure investment as a catalyst for adoption that will resultin job growth and economic development and deployment of advanced mobiletechnologies primarily in the economically distressed communities of the rural South. Background The Department of Commerce promotes job creation, economic growth, and improved standardsof living for all Americans by working in partnership with businesses, universities, communitiesand our nation's workers. The Department has a wide range of responsibilities that includeeconomic development, technology, encouraging entrepreneurship, and business development. NTIA’s programs and policymaking focus on issues that include expanding broadband Internetdeployment and connectivity in America, spectrum management and availability, and ensuringthat the Internet remains an engine for continued innovation and economic growth. Since 1994,NTIA has been conducting in-depth research on patterns of Internet usage throughout the UnitedStates. Our data consistently show that Americans living in rural and distressed urbancommunities are less likely to use the Internet than their urban or economically advantagedpeers. Just 59 percent of households with incomes under $25,000 reported using Internet at home in the2017 NTIA Internet Use Survey. African Americans and rural dwellers have also consistentlybeen less likely to go online than their non-Hispanic White and urban peers. Seventy percent ofAfrican American households reported home Internet use in 2017, compared with 80 percent oftheir White counterparts.2Similarly, 71 percent of rural households were connected, comparedwith 79 percent of urban households.3 A 2019 report by the Federal Communications Commission found that of the 19% of Americansliving in rural areas,4nearly 17 million (26%) live in areas lacking sufficient broadbandavailability. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the United States had 102 counties where atleast half the population identified as Black or African American over the 2013-2017 period;nearly all of these counties were located across the Coastal and Lowland South in a loose arcrelated to traditional areas of plantation agriculture, including the Mississippi Delta.5 In the latest Business Case for Racial Equity report from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, theauthors state that “by 2050, our country stands to realize an $8 trillion gain in GDP by closingthe U.S. racial equity gap.”6 To address the broadband challenges for unserved or underserved Americans, especially thoseliving in rural areas,