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BAND-NC Grantees

The Institute for Emerging Issues (IEI) at NC State University is pleased to present the grant recipients for Building a New Digital Economy in NC (BAND-NC).

NC County map with counties that have received BAND-NC funding highlighted in orange
BAND-NC has supported 73 $5,000 “rapid response” and “digital inclusion planning and implementation” grants covering 64 counties since the program’s inception.

73 grants

awarded, both “rapid response” and “digital inclusion planning and implementation”

64 counties

covered since the program’s inception

$2.9 million

raised to support counties working to close the digital divide

Alamance, Guilford, and Forsyth Counties

Piedmont Triad Regional Council
To help solve key digital and internet disparities in their region, the Piedmont Triad Regional Council will develop Digital Inclusion plans unique to the jurisdictions of City of Winston-Salem/Forsyth County, City of Greensboro/Guilford County and Alamance County. The primary activities involved in the planning process will include convening stakeholders, surveying populations, collecting data, and offering digital skills and literacy trainings and workshops to local stakeholders.

Alamance, Rockingham, and Randolph Counties

NC One Hundred Strong, Randolph County Partnership for Children
Their goals are to help hundreds of families take advantage of discounted opportunities by promoting the FCC Emergency Broadband benefit program to underserved communities (now the Affordable Connectivity Program); to help equip a subset of families with needed hardware, such as Chromebooks; and continue to solicit participation in the NC Broadband Survey with the goal of creating the best broadband coverage map in North Carolina.

Anson County

Anson County
Anson County is working to expand a successful library hotspot program for its citizens. The County will use the funding to purchase 5 mobile hotspots and their subscription costs for a year, as well as 5 chromebooks and laptop bags. This program will allow residents of Anson County a one stop rental in order to access the internet through the Sandhill Regional Library System.

Anson, Cabarrus, Cleveland, Gaston, Lincoln, Mecklenburg, Stanly, Union Counties

Charlotte AHEC
New competencies are required for communication in the digital environment. However, technology and training disparities prevent many people from obtaining these competencies. Charlotte AHEC can help bridge these training gaps by developing and hosting online Digital Literacy and Skills Educational Series. This series can be accessed at no cost to 50 participants from each county in the 8-county region. The “Digital Literacy and Skills Educational Series” will be designed to address the needs of an underserved community and will include topics such as, digital devices, communication applications, networks to access and manage information, and how to be safe and responsible online.

Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Chatham, Cherokee, Davidson, Davie, Forsyth,  Guilford, Henderson, Iredell, Polk, Stokes, Surry, Union, Wilkes, Yadkin Counties

NC Fine Wines Society
Many vineyards have extremely limited broadband access in their tasting rooms, and even fewer farmers have that access available in their winery, barn, or in the vineyard itself. NC Fine Wines will create a Mobile Unit WIFI Setup that can be brought to the vineyards and local Agricultural Extension Offices to demonstrate the options for them to increase their broadband coverage. Members will learn what to look for to extend their Broadband access across their business locations, and the same information will be available to other farming businesses.

Beaufort County

Beaufort County Schools
Beaufort County Schools recently conducted a study indicating that 1,100 students and parents don’t have access to high speed internet in their home. Despite the school system’s efforts to provide laptops and wireless hotspots for kids to access online materials, the disparity still leaves some students at a disadvantage. BAND-NC funds will help to fill gaps by purchasing an additional 50 hotspots for deployment around the county.

Beaufort and Hyde Counties

Beaufort Hyde Partnership for Children
BAND-NC funding will help to overcome the barrier of no internet within the home for Beaufort-Hyde Partnership for Children families. The Partnership will use all the funding to integrate hotspots for families living in Beaufort and Hyde county that use our services. They plan to partner with a local cell phone provider to gain the best rate and services for families living within the most rural areas of the community. The hotspot service would give families internet access for an entire year. Being able to overcome this barrier will help the Partnership continue to support parents and educate children within the community. This opportunity will allow staff to continue to build upon the developmental milestones that a child will need in preparation for kindergarten.

Bertie County

Bertie County Hive House
The Bertie County Hive House (The Hive) is a trusted center of resources for the residents of Lewiston-Woodville and western Bertie County, a rural part of the county home to approximately 1,000 people. Since the advent of COVID-19, many students in the county have lost access to the level of support that they need and deserve to achieve. The Hive has received donations of funds and equipment to provide many Hive participants attending the county’s Early College with laptops, but these students do not have affordable and/or physical access to hotspots. BAND-NC funds will cover the cost of 40 hotspots and cellular service plans for these students.

Bladen County

Bladen Community College Small Business Center
Bladen Community College Small Business Center will launch a pilot designed to introduce the options of competing in the online global economy that reliable internet would offer entrepreneurs and small businesses. The objective is to encourage research to find affordable options for internet access, develop business plans that might incorporate internet access, and advocate for further usage amongst the community.

Brunswick County

Brunswick Senior Resources, Inc.
Early in the pandemic, Brunswick Senior Resources Inc. began testing virtual programming such as group fitness classes, music lessons and live performances, tech help tutorials, caregiver support groups and more, and received an overwhelmingly positive response. Participants are eager for more options to connect and stay active in the safety of their homes. To continue these programs and create quality content, Brunswick Senior Resources Inc. is creating virtual studios for five senior centers. Each virtual studio will include a tripod stand, lighting equipment, a speaker system, a headset/microphone, and a streaming device.

Buncombe, Henderson, Madison, and Transylvania Counties

Land of Sky Regional Council
Land of Sky Regional Council is currently supporting broadband efforts in their four member counties: Buncombe, Henderson, Madison and Transylvania. In partnership with area community colleges, Land of Sky will purchase computers and laptops for community college students who need them. The funds will also enable Land of Sky to work with their member communities to develop county-specific digital inclusion plans.

Burke County

Burke County United Way
A survey conducted by Burke County Public Schools (BCPS) determined that 10.5% of students did not have access to reliable high-speed internet. With the decision for school to begin remotely, Burke County United Way partnered with the school system to identify the need to secure hotspots for students who did not have internet connectivity to access and engage in the online learning environment. The intended outcome is that students who currently do not have reliable high-speed internet will receive a hotspot that will allow them to successfully access and engage in remote, online learning.

Carteret County

Carteret County Economic Development Foundation, Inc. (2020)
Carteret County Economic Development Foundation, Inc is looking to expand broadband access throughout Carteret County. BAND-NC funding will help them to develop a countywide broadband and digital inclusion plan to meet the digital needs in their community.

Carteret County

Carteret County Economic Development Foundation (2021)
Carteret County Economic Development Foundation will develop a website that will contain a comprehensive inventory of all digital resources in the County (e.g. digital literacy/computer training classes; public WiFi locations; school and library hotspot and device lending programs; and subscription subsidy information and assistance); The development and printing of hard copy brochures that contain similar information as the website, which brochures will be made widely available throughout the County via partner organizations; and Spanish language versions of both the website and brochures.

Catawba County

Greater Hickory Cooperative Christian Ministry (2020)
Greater Hickory Cooperative Christian Ministry (GHCCM) provides service for the homeless and those who have fallen within 200% of Federal Poverty Guidelines. GHCCM is working to expand its virtual programming but needs to be flexible with classroom locations and the number of participants. They will use BAND-NC funds to partially fund technical assistance for remote learners/workers and purchase needed equipment including four portable mobile TVs with carts and accessories.

Catawba County

Greater Hickory Cooperative Christian Ministry (2021)
Greater Hickory Cooperative Christian Ministry (GHCCM) serves the homeless and those who fall within 200% of the Federal Poverty Guideline. In partnership with the City of Hickory and the Hickory City Library System, GHCCM will survey the population to find gaps in internet accessibility and reliability. GHCCM will also provide digital literacy training to community members.

Chatham County

Chatham County Council on Aging
Chatham County Council on Aging is looking to find ways to bridge the digital divide for senior residents, because as they stay in their home, and as their family members keep distance, their world grows smaller. BAND-NC funds will support a pilot project to purchase tablets and subsidized internet service for 15 low-income seniors currently lacking access to the internet in their homes. Chatham County Council on Aging staff and volunteers will provide training and support to seniors to use these tablets and measure their engagement and the impact of this access.

Cleveland County

Town of Belwood
The Town of Belwood is working to establish secure wireless internet access at the Belwood Community Center facility. There are no public schools, libraries, or other public/governmental facilities in the area except the Belwood Community Center, which has never had internet access. The project will serve Belwood and northern Cleveland County residents, with emphasis on school-age children and their parents/guardians needing access to online learning platforms.

Craven County

Peletah Ministries
Peletah Ministries is working to bridge the growing digital divide in Craven County, with a special focus on refugee families. BAND-NC funds will provide access to devices for students engaged in remote learning, enable Peletah Ministries to have a 24/7 drive-in Wifi service for those who don’t have internet at home and provide digital literacy classes for parents in order to better integrate and engage in remote learning. 

Davidson County

Central United Methodist Church
Central United Methodist Church is establishing an e-Learning center to provide technical assistance for remote learners and workers. This center will provide high speed internet services, digital literacy and technical support.

Davie County

Smart Start of Davie
Smart Start will provide devices and hot spots to families with children prenatal to five years of age. Smart Start of Davie County has multiple family support programs that are relying on digital access to keep families and staff safe during the global pandemic while maintaining quality programming. The programs include Parents as Teachers, an in-home visiting program that is currently being done virtually and through telecommunication; Nurturing Parenting Program, a group-based parenting program focused on positive parenting practices to reduce and prevent child abuse and neglect and LENA Home, a talk pedometer measuring parent/child engagement.

Duplin County

Duplin County
The 822 square mile spanse of Duplin County lies less than 90 minutes from three military bases and is wedged roughly an hour between both the capital and the coast. With predominant industries of animal processing and farming, Duplin County is home to three major pork and poultry producers. This grant funding will be used to create a survey of households and county stakeholders to determine specific broadband internet access needs as the basis for a digital inclusion plan.

Durham County

Kramden Institute
Kramden Institute is creating a digital inclusion plan for the city and county of Durham. The creation of the plan is being driven by Digital Durham, a community collaborative dedicated to digital equity and inclusion work in Durham.

Durham County

Kramden Institute
The Kramden Institute and Digital Durham will use BAND-NC funds to hire a contractor to develop a framework to implement Durham’s digital inclusion plan and track metrics related to its success.

Edgecombe County

Community Enrichment Organization and Young Visionaries for Health (YV4H)
Young Visionaries for Health (YV4H) is a student-led initiative in partnership with the Community Enrichment Organization (CEO), researchers at UNC at Chapel Hill, and local mental health/wellness consultants that seeks to expose young people to research while focusing on questions and challenges that resonate with students in regards to how their community is healthy. The BAND-NC funds will support the work of YV4H by providing laptops, webcams, and individual hotspots to students who are involved and lack access. The program will also integrate digital literacy components into the YV4H meetings including: ethical and practical aspects of online communication, conducting online research, and digital inclusion strategies and assessment.

Edgecombe County

Edgecombe County Public Schools
Edgecombe County Public Schools (ECPS) is working on a project called ECPS EDGE Family Academy to better support families as they navigate remote learning. This will be a five part course for parents, guardians, and families of the ECPS students. Curriculum will include: overview of the ECPS Remote Learning Plan and parent resources; tutorials of specific learning apps and software, digital communication tools to connect with students’ teachers, internet safety tips, and understanding broadband and internet connectivity challenges.

Edgecombe and Nash Counties

Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church
Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church aims to dedicate half the square footage in its Christian Education Enrichment Center to create a technology room dedicated to learning and development for youth and seniors alike. This center will allow for on-site high school equivalency (HSE) classes with the benefit of technology, where adults can complete their high school credentials in a face-to-face setting or via a distance learning platform. Students will also be able to engage in online HSE and SAT practice tests in preparation for their upcoming state-level exams. The goals of the initiative are to ensure that all EBC members as well as the underserved that live near the ministry have digital access, access to appropriate digital devices, technology support, and academic and personal development opportunities via a structured digital environment.

Edgecombe and Nash Counties

Rocky Mount Housing Authority
Rocky Mount Housing Authority will equip community centers with free-standing computer stations in both community centers. The Housing Authority will equip each station with a desktop computer and monitor and provide the same computer set-up for the certified instructor. The R.I.S.E. Digital L&D Centers will serve both senior residents, college-level, and K-12 students, all of whom live within the confines of the housing communities. The overall goal is to ensure that all RMHA housing units have digital access, appropriate digital devices, technology support, and academic and personal development opportunities via a structured digital environment.

Edgecombe and Nash Counties

Rocky Mount Housing Authority
Rocky Mount Housing Authority will dedicate half the square footage in both community centers to bring about R.I.S.E.(Restoring Independence – Sewing Empowerment) Digital Learning and Development Centers.RMHA will modify each of the centers’ central activity rooms with seven free-standing computer stations. Each station will be equipped with a desktop computer and monitor, and all units would be equipped with the Windows 10 operating system. The R.I.S.E. Digital L&D Centers will serve both senior residents, college-level, and k – 12 students who live within the confines of our housing communities. The goals of the initiative are to ensure that all RMHA housing units have digital access, appropriate digital devices, technology support, and academic and personal development opportunities via a structured digital environment.

Edgecombe, Halifax, Nash, Northampton, and Wilson Counties

Upper Coastal Plain Council of Governments
The Upper Coastal Plain Council of Governments (UCPCOG) will implement a regional digital inclusion planning process, with the goal of developing a unique digital literacy plan for each county in the region. UCPCOG has a close relationship with its 46 member local governments that comprise the rural, five-county region (Edgecombe, Halifax, Nash, Northampton and Wilson Counties). This positions UCPCOG to lead the broader planning effort in close partnership with member governments and leverage efforts to deliver digital inclusion plans that are customized to each county’s specific challenges and desires.

Forsyth County

WinstonNet
WinstonNet will focus on city and county-wide adoption of the Forsyth County Digital Equity Plan, creating sub-committees within the oversight committee, and promoting public and private partnerships. In addition, they will host a County Hall meeting to discuss the Plan with residents, government officials, and local businesses. They will have conversations about residents’ needs and how broadband internet enhances residents’ socio-economic status and creates new economic opportunities, jobs, businesses, and wealth.

Franklin County

Franklin County Government
Funding from the BAND-NC grant will allow Franklin County to add needed broadband devices to the current offerings in the County Library System, and the new Franklin Voyager Multimedia Bookmobile. Those devices will also be used for citizen training programs on digital inclusion topics. This will help to move Franklin County residents toward the goal of increased broadband subscribership.

Gaston County

Friends of the Gaston County Public Library
The Friends of the Gaston County Public Library is working to provide extended Wi-Fi access at the library locations. Residents are in need of wireless connection, but the library’s Wi-Fi does not radiate outside the walls of the library. Wi-Fi reception is weak in the parking lots. They are working to provide a wireless access point outside of the Main Library building, reaching out into the parking lot, and extending Wi-Fi access to 300 feet. The Main Library was selected as the project starting location because the library is centrally located in the county, is on the city bus route, and has 15 schools within a three-mile radius.

Gates County

Gates County
Gates County’s Senior Tech program will include a year-long series of one to two-hour classes aimed at familiarizing older residents with the current demands of a digital community. Evening sessions will be held once or twice-monthly, and daytime classes will be offered frequently in collaboration with community organizations. A combination of paid and volunteer, intergenerational instructors will train participants on a variety of topics, including device familiarization, accessing the internet, using email, conducting/attending virtual meetings, participating in telehealth visits, paying bills online, and digital security.

Graham County

Graham County Department of Social Services
Graham County Department of Social Services will use their BAND-NC grant to support frontline workers, specifically those who work with Child Protective Services and Adult Protective Services. The Department of Social Services will purchase devices that allow more flexibility and efficiency for their CPS and APS units by allowing workers to work based out of alternate locations.

Granville County

City of Oxford
The City of Oxford is working to provide free public Wi-Fi in the Downtown district of Oxford which will allow access to every citizen.

Halifax County

A Better Chance, A Better Community
ABC2 aims to become a resource for digital learning by 1) establishing a Digital Inclusion Task Force, which will include members of the existing Halifax County Digital Inclusion County Planning group, and 2) purchasing refurbished laptops or desktops from a qualified computer refurbishment group.

Halifax County

Halifax County
Halifax County was included in the first round of BAND-NC grants as part of a regional application through the Upper Coastal Plains Council of Governments. One of the highlights from the digital inclusion plan was the realization that seniors and the organizations that serve them are increasingly aware of the value of bringing this group online. There is a need for digital literacy training to increase digital equity and broadband adoption among senior citizens. These modules will focus on digital literacy and safety.

Haywood County

Haywood Community College
Haywood Community College is working to address the digital and internet needs of their low-income students.They have launched a program to close the digital divide by providing laptops, headsets and webcams to students who need them. BAND-NC funds will be used to expand this service by providing wifi hotspots through the library lending program, allowing students to access the internet in their homes.

Hertford County

Cultivator, Inc.
Cultivator, Inc.’s proposed Digital Inclusion Project will implement WIFI hotspots in parts of Hertford County that are internet dead zones, and also in parts of the county that are near clusters of low-income housing, where residents may not have access to the Internet. The desired outcome of this project is to enable more K-12 students to be able to log on to virtual classes with their Chrome Books and not have to rely on paper and pencil “packets” that they receive from teachers every week.

Jackson and Macon Counties

HEIGHTS Inc.
HEIGHTS Inc is a restorative justice non-profit that serves youth who have multiple behavioral health needs. HEIGHTS has set up learning PODS to monitor and advise students during their virtual school in Macon and Jackson counties. These PODS will enable youth to come together to a place where they can access the internet to complete their schoolwork and have access to an educational tutoring and support person.

Jones County

Jones County
Jones County is a rural county with a strong agricultural heritage. Through the partnership of all county agencies, the county will develop and implement a digital inclusion plan to provide a wide range of options to provide high-speed internet throughout the county.

Martin County

Martin County Government Department of Adult and Aging Services
Martin County Government’s Department of Adult and Aging Services will  purchase computers and WiFi hotspots for its three nutrition sites. The pandemic has isolated many senior citizens, preventing them from seeing family and friends. Seniors are often uncomfortable using technology without help, and many senior citizens do not own technology or have access to reliable internet. By offering free use of computers and internet access at the nutrition sites, Martin County senior citizens will be able to go online without the burden of purchasing expensive technology themselves.

Martin County

Martin County Schools
Martin County Schools is working on a digital expansion project which will serve the K-12 population who are experiencing difficulties participating in virtual learning. Martin County will utilize the funds from BAND-NC to purchase devices to cover many of the students that do not have access to needed technology.

McDowell County

Connect McDowell
Connect McDowell has identified the East Marion community as an urgent “community of need” for continued student distance learning participation. 69% of student households in this community report no dedicated internet connection, making it one of the least connected and most vulnerable student populations in McDowell County. Connect McDowell is working with Eastfield Global Magnet Elementary School and Marion East Community Forum to create a pilot project called Project BRIDGE for 20 families in East Marion, designed to give parents and guardians the digital skills needed to participate in distance education.

Mecklenburg County

Arthritis Patient Services
Arthritis Patient Services will distribute devices and internet access to older adults who are more likely to be alone and isolated. APS will also educate seniors on digital resources available to them. After distribution, the group will conduct a pilot study on the efficacy of the virtual format of their services.

Mecklenburg County

Charlotte Rescue Mission
Charlotte Rescue Mission (CRM) offers holistic recovery services to community members at the intersection of addiction and homelessness. CRM will use the BAND-NC grant to purchase additional devices, expand broadband capabilities, and strengthen digital literacy support for program graduates participating in transitional programs. Participation in the digital economy will ease the re-entry process and help clients to grow, re-imagine themselves and actualize self-sufficiency.

Mecklenburg County

Digi-Bridge (2020)
Working in partnership with several community organizations, Digi-Bridge is working to develop digital literacy resources and training for Spanish-speaking families with students in the Charlotte Mecklenburg schools. The funding from BAND-NC will be used to host bilingual training sessions for families using online learning platforms such as Canvas, NCEdCloud, Google Classroom and Zoom. They will also hold open technology hours for families at critical school and neighborhood locations, and develop dual language printed and online resources for families to use and share in their neighborhood.

Mecklenburg County

Digi-Bridge (2021)
Digi-Bridge will use the BAND-NC funding to hire one paid Family Engagement Specialist, who will provide a weekly targeted digital literacy workshop for 10 families, focusing on specific areas of need including accessing the internet, computer use, using reading checkup tools, and printer use. At the end of the workshop, each family will receive a computer and a printer and have the skills and confidence to use them. Digi-Bridge will work with CltBP in sourcing the hardware required for the Reading Bridge program. Additionally, Digi-Bridge will support the program with consultancy on digital literacy training and resources that can be used in current and future workshops.

Moore County

Moore County
Moore County will develop and implement a broadband plan in order to increase broadband expansion within the county. Moore County is just over 700 square miles of land; much of it is rural and therefore underserved by the existing broadband providers. The goal in this project is to lessen the digital divide in the county so that all residents have access to adequate internet service that is affordable. This will help diminish the homework gap, increase telehealth opportunities, assist small businesses, and allow for work-from-home opportunities during the global pandemic and beyond for all residents of Moore County.

Nash County

Nash County
Nash County has identified digital literacy as a challenge, particularly among parents, grandparents, and caregivers who are attempting to help students complete schoolwork while remote learning. Nash County, in partnership with the Kramden Institute, will offer digital literacy training to participants. This is intended to be the first of several cohorts, with the goal of training community members who are then able to assist their friends and neighbors, further reducing the digital divide in Nash County.

New Hanover County

Cape Fear Collective
Cape Fear Collective’s goal is to bring enhanced Wi-Fi access to serve remote learning sites across the county. Collectively these remote learning sites at area nonprofits and churches will host approximately 650-800 students across multiple sites with the opportunity to grow their numbers as restrictions on group gatherings loosen.

Pender County

Smart Start of Pender County, Inc
Smart Start of Pender County will develop a digital literacy program for families with children ages birth to five, and the staff of early education facilities, specifically family child care homes. This funding will help Smart Start of Pender County implement the tasks as outlined in the digital inclusion plan and will increase our capacity to build upon our ongoing digital equity efforts. The project will also help us ensure that the interest of families with young children and the early education community are included in the plan.

Polk and Rutherford Counties

Carolina Community Broadband Alliance
Carolina Community Broadband Alliance (CCBA) has created a subsidy program to serve low-income residents in Polk and Rutherford counties who are unable to afford broadband. The priority for subsidy funds will be student households, particularly those without access to remote learning. Individuals who qualify for the subsidy fund receive a 50% discount on Internet access.

Randolph County

NC Cooperative Extension Randolph County Center (2020)
NC Cooperative Extension Randolph County Center is working on a collaborative approach to address the digital needs of students in the county. The Randolph County School System conducted a recent survey to prepare for the 2020-2021 school year which revealed 8% of students did not have broadband access in the home, and 34% of students needed appropriate devices to access learning resources for remote learning. In collaboration with the Randolph County School System, the Randolph County Public Library, and the Randolph-Asheboro YMCA, BAND-NC funds will be used to purchase Chromebooks for students throughout the county.

Randolph County

NC Cooperative Extension Randolph County (2021)
The Randolph County Digital Alliance will hire a Digital Alliance Ambassador to promote the Randolph County Digital Inclusion Plan and build awareness of the Randolph County Digital Alliance, solicit participation in the NC Broadband Survey with the goal of creating the best broadband coverage map in North Carolina, and promote the FCC Emergency Broadband Benefit program to underserved communities.

Randolph County

Randolph Partnership for Children
Randolph Partnership for Children will work towards three goals: to collect data on the needs of families with children ages 5 and under, specifically in lower-income and lower population density communities; to provide families in need with hotspots and/or subsidies for internet subscriptions; and to provide digital literacy training and technical support/assistance for families with young children ages 5 and under. The intended outcomes are a better understanding of families’ broadband adoption practices and barriers; better digital resources for families, and increased knowledge and comfort levels for families integrating technology into their homes, work/life scenarios, and foundational phase of their child’s educational journey.

Rowan County

Rufty-Holmes Senior Center
Rufty-Holmes Senior Center is planning to hire a Digital Navigator to set up devices for use by the county’s older adults and to provide guidance on connecting and use of the devices. Educating older adults in Rowan County on these devices will help to close the digital divide and provide more opportunities to connect to services and reduce social isolation. Rufty-Holmes Senior Center seeks to expand virtual programming options by loaning easy-to-use technology equipment to older adults who do not have access to equipment and Wi-Fi.

Stanly County

Stanly County
Stanly County will develop a comprehensive community-wide digital inclusion plan. The plan will assess gaps, identify strategies and programs to close gaps, and determine potential funding sources.

Stanly County

Uwharrie United Methodist Church
In rural Stanly County, good internet access is challenging, particularly in the smaller towns and rural areas. Crossroads Connection is a collaborative, ecumenical ministry in the north Stanly County area. Crossroads Connection will determine safe locations that students and families can access free wifi, noting if indoor access is available. Crossroads Connection will create a family friendly flyer listing Richfield UMC and other locations where students can access reliable wifi to complete virtual learning. Richfield Elementary School, and other schools who agree, will distribute the flyer/information to students and families. These flyers can be distributed through weekend food bags, virtual learning platforms, throughout the community, and in local churches. Additionally, Richfield UMC will have outdoor signage with information about wifi access.

Surry County

Surry County
During 2020, various entities in Surry County began to independently review gaps in current broadband services. In Spring 2021, the need to create one county-wide plan reviewing challenges and needs for all segments of the population, integrating the goals and strategies best for everyone, became obvious. With BAND-NC grant funding, a coalition of stakeholders will assemble to begin the work of integrating plans, addressing connectivity for the benefit of all members of the Surry County community. This will catalyze the creation of a county-wide digital inclusion plan. This plan will outline the vision, steps needed to create the solutions tailored to the specific needs and then guide funding decisions to realize those solutions.

Swain County

Smoky Mountain TechWorks, Inc.
Smoky Mountain TechWorks, Inc goal is to improve and provide connectivity for Swain County students in order to complete coursework during remote learning by improving and expanding community and individual hotspots. They plan to add four community hotspots using fixed wireless and fourteen personal hotspots for student checkout using cellular services. Both will be free to the student users.

Transylvania County

Smart Start
Through a partnership with Through The Trees, a local nonprofit, Smart Start of Transylvania County will help to subsidize broadband service for families with school-aged children. The goal is to remove barriers that prevent children from thriving.

Vance County

HUBZone Technology Initiative
HUBZone Technology Initiative is working to address the digital divide in Vance County by developing a Digital Inclusion Planning Coalition with a number of city and county offices and other nonprofit organizations. The Digital Inclusion Planning Coalition will develop a community-wide digital inclusion plan.

Wake County

Community Technical Assistance, Wake
Community Technical Assistance (Wake) will partner with local churches and public schools to serve students and families who do not have access to the internet or adequate technology. CTA will provide internet access to students and digital inclusion training and devices for parents of students who regularly participate. This will ultimately improve the learner’s digital literacy and academic achievement.

Wake County

Community Technical Assistance (Wake)
Community Technical Assistance’s DEI initiative is designed to introduce alternative learning strategies, using digital gaming as an incentive and a creative outlet for learners during school and after school. CTA’s research revealed that male learners are gaming at rates up to 84% and females are close behind at almost 60% of the school-age population. The DEI initiative will increase each learner’s performance and achievement, as well as allow them to create an engaging learning community network outside the classroom. With uninterrupted internet speed up to 1000 Mbps, learners will also receive real-time instruction without unnecessarily long buffering times.

Watauga County

Watauga County Schools
Watauga County School’s main goal is to help address the broadband and remote learning needs for Spanish-speaking, immigrant and low income families with school-aged children in their county. They will use the grant funds to work towards three goals: 1) to collect data on the needs of the Latinx immigrant and low-income populations; 2) to provide families in need with hotspots and/or subsidies for internet subscriptions; and 3) to provide digital literacy training for Spanish-speaking families.

Wayne County

Community Technical Assistance, Wayne
Community Technical Assistance (Wayne) will leverage community partnerships to serve students and families who do not have access to the internet or adequate technology. CTA will provide internet access to students and digital inclusion training and devices for parents of students who regularly participate. This will ultimately improve the learner’s digital literacy and academic achievement.

Wayne County

Community Technical Assistance, Inc
Community Technical Assistance will develop a comprehensive, community-lead digital inclusion plan for Wayne County. They will hold five community meetings, and distribute surveys via stakeholder partners.

Wayne County

Community Technical Assistance, Wayne (CARES Act funding)
Community Technical Assistance’s DEI initiative is designed to introduce alternative learning strategies, using digital gaming as an incentive and a creative outlet for learners during school and after school. CTA’s research revealed that male learners are gaming at rates up to 84% and females are close behind at almost 60% of the school-age population. The DEI initiative will increase each learner’s performance and achievement, as well as allow them to create an engaging learning community network outside the classroom. With uninterrupted internet speed up to 1000 Mbps, learners will also receive real-time instruction without unnecessarily long buffering times.

Wayne County

Wayne County Public Library
Wayne County Public Library is working on a project to help increase digital equity for the Dudley community located in the southern area of Wayne County, a Tier 1 county. This project will have a three-pronged approach (access, devices, and technical support services). BAND-NC funds will be used to hire a Data Manager which will report outcomes related to the program by creating pre and post training and project surveys to document improved access, technology skill growth, and gains in knowledge of digital resources and e-government services.