ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — St. Petersburg was the only city in Florida to be awarded a $6.9 million federal grant on Jan. 7 to advance broadband digital access to underserved communities.

What You Need To Know

  • St. Petersburg was awarded a $6.9 million federal digital equity grant on Jan. 7

  • It was the only city in Florida to get the grant for underserved communities 

  • The city is targeting 750 households on the Southside

  • The four-year program will be officially launched in June

“If you're not on a digital highway, where are you?” said Carl Lavender, St. Pete’s Chief Equity Officer. “You’re going to be stranded.”

The digital equity competitive grant has been awarded from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration. Mayor Ken Welch said the grant program will help close the digital equity gap.

“This award advances our focus on innovation and equity and will allow us to bridge the digital divide in St. Pete,” he said. “With this support, St. Pete is one step closer to ensuring inclusive progress for all residents, empowering them to thrive in today’s connected world.”

Lavender said they are targeting 750 households on the city’s Southside, which will connect a total of 3,000 residents.

“We know that our Southside CRA community is particularly challenged by the lack of hot digital highway access,” he said. “So we want to make sure that our Southside communities and our CRA are well wired in this regard.”

The idea for the NTIA grant program came out of the pandemic when people who did not have internet access were left behind, according to Lavender. The digital equity program goes beyond just laying fiber.

“It's training, it's equipment. It's how to use the equipment,” said Lavender. “It's curriculum on its axis. It's camaraderie.”

The digital equity grant is a four-year program which will be officially rolled out in June.