Project Title:
Pinoleville Pomo Nation Broadband Connectivity Grant
Funding Program:
Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program
Project Purpose/Type:
The Broadband Use and Adoption project will assist 175 Native American Tribal citizens and community members in Mendocino, Lake and Sonoma Counties, California, in developing programs and resources to address COVID-19 related concerns and build capacity to use broadband to provide ongoing and sustainable benefit to telehealth, remote learning, telework, entrepreneurship, economic growth, job creation and serving community anchor institutions.
State(s):
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$496,977.00Funding Amount
The project will implement five activities aimed at addressing critical challenges faced bythe Native Americans in the Tribal service area resulting from a severe lack of broadband access or service:
- Hire and train a Project Coordinator and Outreach Coordinator, increasing staff capacity to manage Tribal broadband programs.
- Deliver workshops to increase basic broadband knowledge and digital skills in the Tribal community and provide on-going support for the Tribe’s online program needs.
- Train twelve interns as a workforce development initiative to gain job skills. These trainees will, in turn, offer digital skills training to 60 Tribal Elders and disabled individuals, thus increasing sustainability. Approximately 40 Tribal Elders and disabled individuals will also receive iPads.
- Create more access to broadband services and devices, including broadband service and devices for the community’s computer center, subsidies to approximately 100-120 Tribal citizens and community members who currently lack access to affordable broadband services, and hotspots for 60 students.
- Gather data and evaluate the digital inclusion and broadband adoption programs funded by the grant to determine their effectiveness and develop future improvements, the results of which are to be shared with NTIA at the close of the project.
Increase access to broadband service that is currently lacking due to cost or remoteness of location. Increase staff capacity to support the nine Tribal organization departments and community anchors. Address the lack of broadband devices and required basic training community-wide. This will allow the community to develop its workforce and increase employability of Pinoleville Pomo Nation citizens.
The project will serve 12 youth (interns), 60 elders/disabled, and 100 households in Mendocino and Lake County, California.