CSU Pueblo Receives $2.98 Million Grant to Increase Broadband Access
Release Date: March 03, 2023
CSU Pueblo received a $2.98 million grant from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to implement a two-year pilot project that will increase broadband access to underserved communities in Pueblo, Colorado. The “Adelante Connect” project targets low-income areas with low internet and device access within the community of Pueblo. Data indicate that there are 36 Pueblo census tracts that may qualify for assistance through the pilot program.
Adelante Connect will staff several Community Digital Navigator positions, provide devices, digital literacy, and subsidize internet services to two hundred students and their households. The project will also technologically enable four community anchor partners with a significant broadband solution enhancing their community connectivity. CSU Pueblo’s Hispanic Serving Institution, and as an emerging Minority Serving Institution, made the institution an eligible recipient of the federal Connecting Minority Communities Pilot Program grant.
According to CSU Pueblo President, Dr. Timothy Mottet, “CSU Pueblo recognizes the need for reliable, affordable, and robust broadband opportunities for the community of Pueblo. We are pleased that we will facilitate increased access to a broadband connection that will positively impact the students and families we serve, many whom reside in economically disadvantaged or minoritized neighborhoods that traditionally have little to no internet access.”
The grant application process was facilitated by Special Assistant to the President, Fred Galves.
“We know that students with limited access to broadband at home may lag behind their counterparts who live with robust, reliable, and affordable broadband access and devices. This grant will support the upward mobility of students and families who are in need of broadband access and devices in the community of Pueblo,” explained Dr. Marie Humphrey, Vice President of Student Affairs and Dean of Students.
The Adelante Connect grant is in direct alignment with CSU Pueblo’s Vision 2028 Strategic Plan, which seeks to engage the region and to develop the people in the local community. The overarching goal of Vision 2028 is to positively impact society, and CSU Pueblo’s Adelante Connect grant will make strides toward that goal.
For questions about the Adelante Connect grant, contact Project Investigator, Dr. Derek Lopez, Associate Vice President of Operations and Advancement at derek.lopez@csupueblo.edu.
Colorado State University Pueblo is a comprehensive state university with an enrollment of nearly 4,000 students. With 34 percent of its students Hispanic, it is a designated Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI), and a military friendly university. The university is dedicated to interdisciplinary learning and entrepreneurship that elevates its people and community, creates educational opportunities, fosters unique collaborations, and supports inclusion, access, and affordability as a gateway to the world.
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