The Digital Bridge Trust Fund Act October 4, 2000 Midterm Briefing

Digital Bridge Trust Fund Act Faculty Advisor: Deborah E. Ward Project Manager: Jennifer Sly Deputy Manager: Nirmala Patni Members: Maria Bustria,Tammy Draut, Hirofumi Kawakita, Maki Kobayashi, Ying Liu, Kristin Sullivan, Joy Wang, Bernard Wee, and ThaoMee Xiong

Agenda Background Legislation Program & Goals Program Design Criteria Program Design Conclusion

Background What is the digital divide problem? Urban households with earnings of $75,000 or more are 20 times more likely to have home internet access than rural households of the lowest income level. National average for home computers is 42.1% and for internet access, 26.2%. For rural Native Americans, 26.8% have home computers and 18.9%, internet access. The internet access gap between white and black households grew by 37.7% between

Legislation The Digital Bridge Trust Fund Act HR 4477 Funding: Telephone Excise Tax Target Population: Underserved rural, urban, and Native American Communities Mission: Provide financial assistance to areas lacking technical resources and education.

Program & Goals What? Community Technology Centers ($200M) Why? Assist in bridging digital divide Where? Underserved rural, urban, Native American areas How? Provide funding to various community based organizations who are interested in setting up community technology centers.

Program Design Criteria Cost Time Effectiveness Feasibility

Program Design I.Program Structure II.Funding Allocation III.Oversight and Enforcement

Board of Trustees (11 members) Digizone Administrator 6 Regional Digizone Committees 1.President 2.Experts for each target community 3.State liaisons 4.Staff Program Design: Program Structure

Board of Trustees Responsibilities: Appoint and oversee 6 digizone committees. Ensure equitable funding allocation of $200M budget to each digizone. Yearly status report to President and Congress. Program Design: Program Structure

Digizone Administrator Responsibilities: Initiate and organize periodic meetings with regional digizone presidents. Communicate each digizone’s progress and concerns to Board of Trustees. Oversight and assessment of program’s overall progress. Program Design: Program Structure

Digizone Committee Responsibilities: Conduct needs assessment of region. Communication with local and state agencies. Implement and disseminate grant procedures to state liaisons and staff. Establish criteria for applicant selection. Review applications and award funds. Overall enforcement and oversight. Program Design: Program Structure

State Liaison Responsibilities: Ensure equitable access to funding opportunities across 50 states through equal representation. Disseminate application process information to all communities and various institutions. Ensure information on fund availability gets communicated to those target communities that program is intended to serve. Program Design: Program Structure

Program Budget: $200 M Staffing 15% Grant Funding 70% Community Outreach 5% Strategic Assessment & Planning 10% Program Design: Funding Allocation

Step One: Board of Trustees allocates $200 M to each regional digizone. Step Two: Digizone Committees allocate funds to communities based on application and selection criteria. Program Design: Funding Allocation

Grantees Semi-annual reports Regional Digizone Committees Annual reports Board of Trustees Annual report to Congress Program Design: Oversight & Enforcement

Conclusion Next Steps Expectations