The Department of Commerce has awarded Diné College a $2.9 million grant as part of the Connecting Minority Communities Pilot Program (CMC). The tribal college is one of five minority-serving colleges and universities receiving grants totaling over $10.6 million. The grants will be used to fund internet access, equipment, and to hire and train information technology personnel.

Specifically, Diné College will use the grant to improve educational and economic opportunity in the Navajo Nation by improving internet access, providing more hardware, and investing in IT staff. Other awardees include historically Black colleges and universities, Hispanic-serving institutions, and other minority-serving institutions across the United States.

“America’s minority-serving colleges and universities are bedrock learning centers that have too often been left behind when it comes to accessing affordable high-speed internet,” said Deputy Secretary of Commerce Don graves. “The Connecting Minority Communities Pilot Program enables these institutions to be a resource for access, digital skills training, and workforce development programs for students and the community to help level the economic playing field.”

The CMC program is part of President Biden’s Internet for All initiative and specifically directs $268 million from the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 for expanding high-speed internet access and connectivity to eligible colleges and universities. “Access to computers and reliable internet is crucial to students’ success in the classroom. This grant will ensure Diné College students have access to new laptops, mobile hotspots, printing kiosks, as well as professional development training,” said U.S. Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona. “We’ll continue working to bridge the digital divide for the next generation of leaders and innovators on the Navajo Nation.”

Congressman Tom O’Halleran of Arizona likewise lauded the initiative. “I am beyond pleased to see these program grants I worked to secure in our 2021 government funding bills awarded to Diné College to continue building out their broadband infrastructure and operations. As an advocate for TCUs since coming to Washington in 2017, I am always glad to see this multifaceted work come to fruition,” said O’Halleran. “I’m looking forward to continued collaboration with partners like Diné College to ensure hardworking students have the resources they need to complete their studies and begin rewarding careers.”

President Biden’s recently enacted Infrastructure Investment and jobs Act (also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law) provides a historic $65 billion investment to expand highspeed internet in communities across the United States. A series of new high-speed internet grant programs funded by the law will build high-speed internet infrastructure across the country, create more low-cost high-speed internet service options, and address the digital equity and inclusion needs in our communities.