The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) approved the Puerto Rico Digital Equity Plan, said Enrique Völckers-Nin, the Assistant Secretary of the Government of Puerto Rico's Government for Innovation, Information, Data and Technology.

“Since we received a grant for planning the Digital Equity Act in September 2022, the Government of Puerto Rico has been working with communities across Puerto Rico to develop our Digital Equity Plan, which NTIA officially approved this week. With this approval, which represents a great achievement for the Smart Island program, Puerto Rico will have access to the Digital Equity Capacity Grant, which we estimate will be around $14 million,” the official explained.

The approved plan, PR Vol. 1, is about the Broadband Equity, Access and Implementation (BEAD) funding program, established by the Infrastructure and Jobs Investment Act (IIJA), which provides funds to build high-speed Internet infrastructure where needed, also supporting job training, allows aid to provide necessary equipment and promotes local associations so that everyone can be connected to the network. It also prioritizes unattended locations that don't have Internet access or that only have access at less than 25/3 Mbps and unattended locations only have access at less than 100/20 Mbps.

The Digital Equity Plan is a planning and implementation program that promotes digital equality, supports digital inclusion activities for territorial efforts related to the adoption of broadband by residents. Its goal is to ensure that all communities can access and use reliable and affordable high-speed Internet to meet their needs and improve their lives.

The funds allocated will be used to: develop, implement and monitor digital equity plans; award prizes to other entities to assist in the development of digital equity plans; improve the online accessibility and inclusion of public resources; implement digital equity plans and digital inclusion activities; provide digital literacy and skills education to covered populations, and facilitate the adoption of high-speed Internet by covered populations.

“As we have explained, digital equity is the goal we have as a program, this means to ensure that every Puerto Rican has access to quality internet service and speed in the connectivity that reaches citizens to their home, business or office. We thank all the people who sent us their comments and who in one way or another collaborated to ensure that they were included in the plan created for the Program and approved by the NTIA,” concluded Völckers-Nin.