EDA Grant to Fund WSU’s Center to Bridge the Digital Divide

SPOKANE, Wash. – A $212,605 grant from the Economic Development Administration to the Center to Bridge the Digital Divide at Washington State University will help build telecommunications capacity in rural areas to aid in workforce and economic development.

The center’s Rural Telework Program has been selected by the EDA as one of three recipients of funding for projects in Washington state. David Sampson, assistant secretary of commerce for economic development, joined U.S. Rep. George Nethercutt today in making the presentation to Bill Gillis, the center’s director.

Additional funding has been secured from the Washington State Department of Community Trade and Economic Development, along with in-kind contributions from WSU units and funding from two private sector firms, Codesic Consulting and Onshore Advantage. These partners will contribute both technical assistance to participating firms and communities and cash match. In total, WSU and its partners will match the federal grant dollar for dollar.

Participating communities include the city of Forks and Adams, Columbia, Ferry, Okanogan, Pend Oreille and Stevens counties.

“Rural telework is a win-win, helping urban-based businesses to be successful in a competitive global economy while creating new living-wage jobs in rural communities where they are needed most,” Gillis said.

The primary goal of the Rural Telework Program is to create 100 living-wage information-based jobs. This will be achieved by building workforce development and telecommunications capacity in rural communities. The program will also assist existing rural businesses expand their information-based jobs and improve business practices through the use of telecommunications and computer technology. The effort launches in early fall of this year and will run through summer 2006.

Also announced today were two other projects receiving funding. The City of Spokane received a planning grant of $175,000 for a strategic master plan for the University District, which is anchored by WSU’s growing Riverpoint campus near downtown Spokane. The SIRTI Foundation for the Technology Growth Fund received $1.466 million.

The mission of the WSU Center to Bridge the Digital Divide is to empower people with the ability to apply technology with imagination and in ways that build community and create opportunity. The center builds collaborative partnerships and provides educational outreach, research and policy guidance resulting in expanded access to telecommunications infrastructure and critical information technologies among underserved populations.

Web sites:

Center to Bridge the Digital Divide: www.cbdd.wsu.edu

CBDD online forum:  https://cbdd.typepad.com