Digital Literacy is Part of Job Preparedness

Ed. Note: Cross-posted from the NTIA Blog.

Broadband Internet is a catalyst for job creation. In fact, a recent report by McKinsey & Company finds that the Internet has created 2.6 jobs for each job it has eliminated. To take full advantage of the economic opportunities enabled by broadband, however, more Americans need online skills. For instance, broadband service allows a small business owner in rural America to sell her goods to consumers around the world – but online skills are also required.

NTIA’s research shows that nearly one-third of Americans do not use the Internet, leaving them cut off from the online economy. Many are rural Americans, seniors, minorities, people with disabilities, the unemployed, and those with low incomes. The most common reason for not adopting broadband is the perception that it is not needed. But broadband is increasingly needed to find jobs, and 21^st century skills are needed to get those jobs.

NTIA is working on several fronts to help bridge this digital divide. Most notably, our Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) has invested in approximately 230 projects to expand broadband access and adoption in communities nationwide. Funded by the Recovery Act, BTOP projects have already delivered more than 8,000 miles of broadband networks and installed or upgraded more than 9,000 workstations at public computer centers.

Creating a Culture of Achievement in Atlanta

Ed. Note: Champions of Change is a weekly initiative to highlight Americans who are making an impact in their communities and helping our country rise to meet the many challenges of the 21st century.

The recent debacle which exposed cheating in schools in Atlanta was a low point for my city, but also a blessing in disguise. Now more than ever people are angry, anxious, and inspired to make a real difference in public education. It has been recognized that great teachers alone will not get us to where we need to be—there must be a culture of achievement in communities, and outside of school.

Having identified this need, it is imperative that Atlantans—and citizens across the nation—must begin to ask themselves what a culture of education and achievement in communities look like. As the founder and organizer of Neighborhood Mathematica, I am proud to make a contribution to building Atlanta’s education culture with the implementation of a supplemental math education program for students in underrepresented areas. However, one math competition—which is also a new tradition in Atlanta—is far from where we need to be.

Treasury Announces Awards to Benefit Low-Income and Distressed Native Communities

Ed. Note: Cross-posted from Treasury Notes, the Department of the Treasury blog.

Building upon last month’s announcement of $142 million in awards for distressed communities – the single largest round of awards in the Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Fund’s history – yesterday, I had the privilege of meeting with a national gathering of Native CDFIs in Honolulu, HI where I announced an additional $11.85 million in awards expressly for financial institutions serving Native American, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian communities.

That money, made under the fiscal year 2011 round of Treasury’s Native American CDFI Assistance Program (NACA Program), will go to 35 organizations with a primary mission of serving low-income and distressed Native communities in 17 states (pdf), the majority of them in rural areas.  Of the 35, seven organizations serving Native Hawaiian communities will receive awards that will allow them to increase lending services, start new microloan programs and increase their capacity to serve their target markets.