Health

17 million Americans lack access to broadband, including residents on 20.9% of Tribal lands and 17.2% of rural land, and lack of access to and adoption of broadband is the focus of ongoing efforts by the Department of Commerce to aid in the deployment of necessary infrastructure to communities with the greatest need. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) is committed to supporting the Biden administration, partner agencies, states, Tribes, and industry to effectively expand broadband access and digital inclusion.

NTIA is committed to increasing broadband Internet access across America, particularly in unserved and underserved communities. The recently enacted Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 provides new sources of tribal broadband funding to assist in mitigating the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic which is exacerbating the digital divide across Indian Country. With the designated funding, NTIA is in the process of developing the Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program (TBCP) that will make grants available to eligible entities as quickly as possible.

Post-workshop materials: 

Smart Regions Innovation, Resilience & Recovery Workshop webpage 

Smart Regions Virtual Workshop YouTube playlist  

Smart technologies are igniting rural economic development, improving health care and education, and improving farming and ranching production. The Global City Teams Challenge (GCTC) Agriculture and Rural Broadband SuperCluster encourages collaboration on innovative agricultural technology and rural projects and released a blueprint for rural communities in July.

Description: Broadband connectivity helps to ensure that local communities are vibrant and successful. In parts of the country that are not fully connected, some communities are creating partnerships with local businesses, health organizations, schools and art groups to solve these challenges. These innovative partnerships leverage existing assets to build new opportunities. Join NTIA’s BroadbandUSA to hear case studies of models that are working to successfully connect Main Street in underserved areas.

Speakers:

NTIA’s BroadbandUSA team has joined with the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Rural Development staff to offer rural broadband workshops throughout the Northwest. The agencies are working with entities in Oregon and Washington to organize the workshops in a selection of cities.

Cross-posted from the NTIA website.

Broadband connectivity is critical for many reasons, including access to quality healthcare. From remote patient monitoring to mobile health applications accessed via smartphones, tablets, or other devices, advances in telemedicine and telehealth technologies have impacted patient care and health outcomes far away from hospitals and doctors’ offices. Connected-care services significantly reduce economic and administrative costs for patients and health care providers.