Broadband Initiative

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ZeroDivide Proposal for the Broadband Technology Opportunity Program (BTOP)

ZeroDivide is working to secure a share of the broadband and related-program funding for its communities from  BTOP (Broadband Technology Opportunity Program), the federal economic stimulus program.

Over the past 10 years, we have invested nearly $50 million in innovative programming that has encouraged sustainable adoption of technology, including broadband, in vulnerable communities.

We will capitalize on our strategic initiative to spark relevant community solutions, increasing demand for broadband and assisting broadband adoption through an intermediary strategy that will advance two BTOP statutory objectives:

1. Provide broadband education, awareness, training, access, equipment, and support to community anchor institutions, job-creating strategic facilities, and vulnerable populations; and
2. Stimulate demand for broadband.

We are  partnering with 44 anchor institutions (Partners) throughout 13 western, mid-western and northeastern states. Our approach will build community among the Partners across geographies and populations to share lessons learned and best practices and leverage our network to provide a scalable range of resources to the Partners.  Our programmatic focus on content development includes: Media Production and Distribution, Online Curriculum Development, Civic Engagement and Technology Capacity Building.

An analysis of our grantee portfolios emphasized that complex barriers to broadband adoption vary among different populations and cannot always be resolved with a one-size-fits-all approach. Many organizations with promising solutions are doing critical work to promote technology and broadband in vulnerable communities, but are unable to apply for federal grants on their own. Our approach will build their capacity to understand, design and use broadband technology through systematic teaching, training, and technical assistance; provide resources to a peer-based network of community anchor institutions; and leverage technology to benefit vulnerable communities throughout the U.S.

Download ZeroDivide's BTOP Executive Summary

Read the Official Blog on the National Broadband Plan