At Computerworld Honors Program, NTIA’s Broadband Stimulus Projects Take Home 16 of 269 Awards

WASHINGTON, June 5, 2013 – On Monday night, the Computerworld Honors Program recognized 16 programs funded by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s Broadband Technology Opportunities Program at its annual Computerworld Honors Awards Gala here.

The panel of judges for the organization selected 269 winner from more than 700 nominees. Of the winners, 16 were from the BTOP program funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. These programs received awards in seven of the 11 Computerworld categories.

The Youth Policy Institute received an award in the category of Human Services, which honors the use of information technology in public programs that provide social services. YPI has established 80 public computer centers in the Los Angeles area and has created a model for other communities to enact similar programs.

The School Board of Miami-Dade County, Florida, received an award in the Philanthropy category, which recognizes work done for a needy cause. The school board has partnered with other community organizations to provide computers, internet service, and multilingual digital literacy training for low-income students.

The Northwest Open Access Network received an award in the Economic Development category. This category recognizes applications of technology to create business and job opportunities. This group has worked to expand broadband infrastructure across rural communities throughout the state of Washington.

All these recognitions serve to verify the effectiveness of BTOP grants, NTIA said in a press release. The agency said that grantees have worked to reduce the digital divide and create a lasting impact on their communities. The release goes on to cite a number of significant accomplishments, such as the broadband service in a half million households, the miles of broadband infrastructure long enough to cross the country 30 times, and the 14 million hours of training that have been provided.

The Computerworld Honors Program is an organization that works to recognize major innovation in the application of information technology.