SD’s Broadband Initiative Awards 29 Community Anchor Institutions with Technology Grants

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Earlier this month, technology grants for projects totaling over $285,000 were issued to 29 Community Anchor Institutions (CAIs) across South Dakota. This program is part of the federal Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunication and Information Administration’s (NTIA) State Broadband Initiative (SBI).

The following institutions were awarded funding through the grant application program. Details below include the CAI and total project costs (including the requirement of the CAI providing a 20 percent matching investment).

  1. Belle Fourche Public Library, Belle Fourche ($9,407.00)
  2. Bethel Community, Madison ($12,361.13)
  3. Bethesda Home   , Aberdeen ($12,475.95)
  4. Brown County, Aberdeen ($11,830.00)
  5. Brule County, Chamberlain ($12,333.50)
  6. City of Elk Point, Elk Point ($12,152.19)
  7. City of Veblen, Veblen ($9,522.20)
  8. Community Counseling Services, Huron ($11,115.63)
  9. Dakota Discovery Museum, Mitchell ($12,355.00)
  10. Ethan School, Ethan ($12,101.19)
  11. Faith Public-School Library, Faith ($5,828.00)
  12. Grant County Public Library, Milbank ($11,392.00)
  13. Holy Trinity Catholic School, Huron ($10,670.75)
  14. Huron School District, Huron ($11,812.50)
  15. Jerauld County, Wessington Springs ($5,415.75)
  16. Lake County, Madison ($4,037.25)
  17. Marcus P. Beebe Memorial Library, Ipswich ($4,468.00)
  18. Miner County, Howard ($11,964.88)
  19. Moody County, Flandreau ($11,534.63)
  20. Moody County - Public Safety, Flandreau ($12,188.69)
  21. Perkins County, Bison ($7,193.06)
  22. Plankinton School District, Plankinton ($10,389.38)
  23. Spink County, Redfield ($12,492.25)
  24. Sully County, Onida ($11,936.69)
  25. Violet Tschetter Memorial Home, Huron ($9,619.88)
  26. Wolsey-Wessington School District, Wolsey ($6,900.00)
  27. Yankton County Emergency Services, Yankton ($6,045.41)
  28. Yankton County Government Center, Yankton ($9,510.94)
  29. Ziebach County, Dupree ($6,538.75)

Project funding will provide technology improvements in the areas of:
  • Firewalls (a form of cyber security) to protect computers against malware, spyware, viruses and other threatening content. 
  • Network switches to ensure uptime and stability as well as increase network speeds and performance. 
  • Wireless equipment for mobile connectivity and increased performance. 
  • New or additional laptops and desktops to provide access to broadband services.

Through this project funding, city and county offices will be able to offer public Wi-Fi at commission and board meetings, schools and libraries will have more computers and secured wireless access for students and patrons, and community centers will have opportunities to offer more technology access to their visitors.

The South Dakota Broadband Initiative Technology Planning team will assist the CAI staff and their technology partners with the implementation of the equipment into their infrastructure.  The Technology Planning and Computer Ownership program is one segment of the overall South Dakota Broadband Initiative. The primary purpose is to provide CAI’s with technology consulting and solutions pertaining to their technical infrastructure and broadband connectivity. Those eligible institutions include libraries, medical and healthcare facilities, K-12 schools, institutions of higher education, public safety offices, government and tribal offices, and community support locations.

To learn more, please visit the following links: