Some students can sign up for free broadband and borrow devices through a new initiative to close the digital divide on campus.

The University of Hawaii is leading efforts to boost state connectivity with more than $400 million in federal grants and matching funds.

The NTIA distributed five grants totaling more than $10 million to minority-serving institutions seeking to improve broadband access.

Forty-one schools across the state are getting planned upgrades to internet speeds of up to 10 gigabits per second, officials said.

A new state budget includes community college funding for nine regional cybersecurity officers, an updated ERP system and broadband updates.

Instead of requiring Pell Grant students to prove their status, data sharing would enable automatic verification through the National Verifier, similar to other government programs.

The institutions can use the National Science Foundation funding to boost research capacity and give their students new training and mentorship opportunities.

Policy experts said that although the aid is welcome, the pandemic's mark on higher education will last longer than the funding provided by the latest federal relief.

The FCC will stick with its 2019 decision to license wireless spectrum historically reserved for educational institutions to private carriers building 5G networks.

Education policy experts said the president-elect's agenda could alleviate challenges that the Trump administration has not addressed.