Pilsen Will Receive Federal Stimulus Funds for Technology
Published: April 9, 2010
On March 25, the U.S. Department of Commerce announced that American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds would be used to expand broadband Internet access and spur economic growth. The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s (NTIA) Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP), funded by the Recovery Act, provides grants to support the deployment of broadband infrastructure, enhance and expand public computer centers, and encourage sustainable adoption of broadband service.
Several states will be benefitting, and in Illinois, Chicago has been chosen to receive $7 million from the federal government, with an additional $2.3 million coming from foundation support. The funds will be used to support the City of Chicago’s Smart Communities pilot program. The program builds off of a report that was put out by the mayor’s advisory council on bridging the digital divide in 2007. The initiative is a partnership between the City of Chicago, Local Initiative Support Corporation, MacArthur Foundation and others.
Pilsen is one of five neighborhoods in the City of Chicago’s Smart Communities Pilot program. The Pilsen community’s participation is being led by The Resurrection Project, and has thus far entailed the completion of a community plan on how to bridge the digital divide, the development of this community website (www.pilsenportal.org), more than $300K in software grants for local non-profits and now the expansion and development of local programs.
In Pilsen, BTOP funds will be used to establish a Family Net Center and a Business Resource Center to increase computer access and training. Funds will also be used to integrate digital media curriculum into a local public school, and the development of civic engagement tools to support local community efforts. The implementation is set to begin sometime this summer.
To learn more, contact Jaime Guzman, project manager at The Resurrection Project at jguzman@resurrectionproject.org.
Posted in Computers and Digital Technology
