Office of Minority Broadband Initiatives
Office of MinorityBroadband Initiatives
Overview
NTIA launched the Minority Broadband Initiatives (MBI) in 2018 in partnership with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) to work on solving broadband deployment challenges in vulnerable communities. In August 2021, NTIA established the Office of Minority Broadband Initiatives to codify NTIA’s work on the MBI. The OMBI, established within the Office of Internet Connectivity and Growth, fulfills requirements of the Connecting Minority Communities provisions enacted into law as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021.
The OMBI will continue NTIA’s efforts to collaborate with federal agencies; state, local and tribal governments; Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Tribal Colleges and Universities and Minority-Serving Institutions; and any interested stakeholders to promote initiatives related to expanding connectivity and digital opportunities for anchor communities.
Director: Dr. Dominique Harrison
Office of Minority Broadband Initiatives 2022 Report
The Office of Minority Broadband Initiatives 2022 Report details the work of NTIA Office of Minority Broadband Initiatives (OMBI) in expanding access and identifying barriers to high-speed internet service for students, faculty, and staff at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HCBU), Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCU), and Minority Serving Institutions (MSI) and within anchor communities.
Office of Minority Broadband Initiatives FY2023 Annual Report
The Office of Minority Broadband Initiatives FY2023 Annual Report provides context to OMBI’s mission to expand high-speed Internet access for anchor institutions and their underserved, minority communities. It also spotlights OMBI's pivotal role in advocating for and monitoring progress towards this objective.
Related content
NTIA and USDA Hosted HBCU Broadband Funding Webinar Series
September 1 through 17, 2020, NTIA’s Minority Broadband Initiative and USDA’s Rural Utilities Service developed and conducted a 6-part technical assistance webinar series to promote HBCU competitiveness for USDA broadband funding for the Distance Learning & Telemedicine, Community Connect, and Reconnect programs.
Remarks of Associate Administrator Doug Kinkoph at the UTC Broadband Workshop
Cyberinfrastructure: Moving Beyond Broadband at HBCUs and TCUs
NTIA launched the Minority Broadband Initiative (MBI) in November 2019 in partnership with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs) to work on solving deployment challenges in vulnerable communities. As part of that ongoing effort, BroadbandUSA’s July webinar, “Cyberinfrastructure: Moving Beyond Broadband at HBCUs and TCUs,” highlighted that cyberinfrastructure – the broader network of technology systems – is a vital component for HBCUs and TCUs to remain competitive in the digital economy. The webinar was moderated by NTIA’s MBI lead, Francine Alkisswani, and Tonya Smith-Jackson, Senior Vice Provost for Academic Affairs at North Carolina A&T State University.
Curtis Bradlee, Acting Chief Information Officer at South Carolina State University, said partnerships with area universities helped to expand SC State’s capabilities. Among these partnerships is C-Light, a statewide direct fiber network managed by Clemson University that provides access to national and international research networks such as Internet2. SC State serves as an access point for other institutions to connect to Internet2, and participated in the National Science Foundation (NSF) CI Empower initiative.