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NC Senate Appropriations Bill Released on April 28

On April 28, the NC Senate released their “2020 COVID-19 Recovery Act” funding bill, which includes the following for digital inclusion:

  • $25,000,000 for community colleges, some of which to be used to enhance online learning capacity and to cover increased costs associated with moving to online education for students, cover expenses for expanded demands on information technology.
  • $42,400,000 for UNC-system colleges and universities, some of which to be used to move to coursework and exams online and information technology support.
  • $10,000,000 for private colleges and universities, some of which to be used to transition to online education for students, 
  • $70,000,000 for the continuity of operation needs across State government, some of which to be used to purchase critical information technology equipment and software licenses and enhance telepresence services in public safety facilities and the court system.
  • $250,000 to purchase mobile Wi-Fi gateway router devices for tier one and tier two counties. Counties may not receive more than 25 devices and are responsible for costs associated with connection and data usage for the device. 
  • $9,000,000 for the Growing Rural Economies with Access to Technology (GREAT) Fund to provide supplementary project funding for grant recipients that were awarded grants on or after April 1, 2020.