The City of Natchitoches has been awarded $100,000 in grant funding from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for the Affordable Connectivity Outreach Grant Program (ACP Outreach Grant Program).
In August 2022, the FCC adopted an order establishing the ACP Outreach Grant Program to facilitate the promotion and awareness of the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) among eligible households. The ACP continues to play an integral role in helping to bridge the broadband affordability gap.
The FCC is enlisting partners nationwide to serve as trusted community messengers and providing those partners with the funding and resources needed to implement innovative strategies to reach historically underserved and unserved communities. The ACP is an FCC benefit program that helps ensure households can afford the broadband they need for work, school, healthcare and more.
The benefit provides a discount of up to $30 per month toward internet service for eligible households and up to $75 per month for households on qualifying Tribal lands. Eligible households can also receive a one-time discount of up to $100 to purchase a laptop, desktop computer, or tablet from participating providers if they contribute more than $10 and less than $50 toward the purchase price.
“The City of Natchitoches is poised to be a trusted community messenger,” stated Mayor Williams. “We want to ensure the residents of Natchitoches are no longer an underserved population and are made aware of all the resources available to help them. Continuing to aggressively pursue funding for these initiatives ensures Natchitoches can compete with the growing technological capabilities of surrounding cities.”
The City’s Community Outreach and Grants Manager, Nicole Gray, identified and successfully applied for the ACP Outreach Grant. Her continued efforts to win grants for the City of Natchitoches help to enhance the quality of life for all residents.
