WASHINGTON (CBS19 NEWS) -- Albemarle County is getting some money to help boost awareness of and participation in a federal Internet connectivity program.

The Federal Communications Commission announced $66 million for the Affordable Connectivity Program’s Outreach Grant Program on Friday.

According to a release, the ACP Outreach Grant Program was created in August 2022 to facilitate the promotion of the ACP among eligible households, aiming to help bridge the broadband affordability gap.

The FCC says the ACP plays an integral role and as part of Friday,s announcement, it is enlisting partners across the country to serve as trusted community messengers.

The release says these partners will be provided with funding and resources needed to complement innovative strategies in order to reach historically underserved and unserved communities.

Along with this, the FCC is working on enhancing the online consumer application system for the ACP to make it easier to use.

This will include reducing the number of steps applicants need to take to complete the process and improving the language clarity of the form based on feedback the FCC has received from navigators and stakeholders.

The ACP Outreach Grant Program covers several sub-programs, including the National Competitive Outreach Program, the Tribal Competitive Outreach Program, the Your Home, Your Internet Outreach Grants, and the ACP Navigator Pilot Program Outreach Grants.

The funding announced on Friday covers the first two of those sub-programs, and announcements for the other two are expected to come out in the near future.

The FCC says it reviewed 350 grant applications to determine the impact of proposed projects against the program’s goals, objectives and priorities.

Applicants were assessed based on their eligibility, their merit, and their risk.

Albemarle County is getting $248,550 in funding under the National Competitive Outreach Program.

A total of $60 million is being allocated under this program, while more than $6 million is going out under the Tribal Competitive Outreach Program.

To view the full list of recipients, click here.