This week the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation announced a $3 million grant to Connect2Compete, a national public-private partnership focused on bridging the digital divide.

Combined with previous funding, this Knight grant takes Connect2Compete more than a third of the way toward its initial three-year goal to raise $20 million to provide low-cost internet access, digital literacy training and refurbished computers to low-income U.S. families.

Coming soon from C2C will be a national pilot program involving 1,000 U.S. communities in 22 states. This program will offer low-cost broadband Internet and reduced-cost laptops to qualifying families, as well as digital literacy learning opportunities.

Under a small prototype of this program earlier this year, more than 1,400 San Diego families took advantage of C2C's low-cost broadband access and computer offerings.

The News and Tools for for Digital Innovators blog is made possible by a grant to USC Annenberg from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.