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Albemarle-led regional DSLD application seeks $400,000 for digital skills, devices; DHCD awards and NTIA review could delay funds
Summary
Albemarle County submitted a regional Digital Skills, Literacy, and Devices application to DHCD for $400,000 to support digital-inclusion services across six localities, staff said.
Albemarle County Broadband Authority staff told the authority that the county submitted an application to the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) for the Digital Skills, Literacy, and Devices (DSLD) grant program, seeking the regional cap of $400,000 to support a regional digital-inclusion ecosystem across six localities. Staff said DHCD announced approximately $15 million in DSLD funding statewide and capped regional applications at $400,000 and local efforts at $200,000.
Staff explained the authority's rationale: many community partners serve residents across multiple localities, so a single regional application covering all six localities would better support the partner network than splitting projects into separate local applications. Staff said DHCD indicated the cap is firm, but the agency received fewer applications than total available funding (47 applications for about $13 million in requests against $15 million available), so the authority hopes DHCD may be able to fund additional amounts beyond the stated cap when awards are announced.
Digital Opportunity Plan and partners: Staff said EPR is preparing the local Digital Opportunity Plan and has conducted focus groups and stakeholder interviews across the partner localities. Staff said early findings show consistent demand across rural and urban respondents for work-from-home capability, online business development, and digital upskilling, and that affordability and skills are the largest barriers.
Federal review and timing risk: Staff cautioned that awards from DHCD will be subject to NTIA review and approval (for programs like DSLD and the Digital Equity Act), and that federal-level staffing and program-review timing could add several months to award timelines. DHCD expects to announce awards before summer but NTIA clearance could take an additional two to three months or longer.
Staff said they will pursue follow-up with DHCD after awards are announced and plan to ask for additional funding if DHCD has discretionary capacity to expand awards. No formal action was taken at the meeting.
