BAND-NC

Five adults wearing professional clothing posing for a photo in front of a screen in a conference room.

Dec 18, 2025

Wrapping Up 2025 with Digital Champions

More than 160 digital opportunity champions from 40 counties gathered in Tarboro on Dec. 4 for the December 2025 NC Digital Opportunity Gathering.

Graphic including an image of four adults speaking at a conference. In front of the photo is the text "Annual Impact Report 2024-2025"

Dec 16, 2025

IEI Releases 2024-2025 Annual Impact Report

IEI is excited to release the Fiscal Year 2024-2025 Annual Impact Report. This report highlights the work that took place throughout the year and the impact it had on communities across the state.

Oct 22, 2025

Bridging the Digital Divide in Western NC

This special feature series profiles the members of IEI's Financial Resilience Community Cohort. First, we hear from Through the Trees Executive Director Yvette Brooks sharing how she and her team are helping bridge the digital divide across Western North Carolina and beyond.

Video thumbnail featuring photos of IEI Digital Opportunities Lead Jess Epsten with Friday Institute's Director of Digital Learning Emma Braaten, Friday Institute's Digital Literacy Coordinator Becky Evans-Wilson, and NCDIT Office of Digital Opportunity Director Maggie Woods; text reads “Exploring NC's Digital Skills Standards.”

Oct 14, 2025

Exploring NC’s New Digital Skills Standards

IEI Digital Opportunities Initiative Lead Jess Epsten sits down with digital opportunity experts from the Friday Institute and the NC Department of Information Technology to explore the newly released NC Digital Skills Standards, a framework designed to connect North Carolinians across the digital divide.

A man and a woman talking in front of a large digital sign that says "NC Digital Opportunity Gatheirng'

May 29, 2025

A Family Reunion: Spring 2025 NC Digital Opportunity Gathering Recap

More than 220 people from across the state came to IEI on April 28 for the 2025 NC Digital Opportunity Gathering, the first of three upcoming collaborative events between IEI and the N.C. Department of Information Technology.

Jun 26, 2024

BAND-NC Celebrates Digital Champion Grantees

NCDIT recently announced their Digital Champion grantees, totaling more than $30 million for digital inclusion projects across North Carolina. BAND-NC is thrilled to see so many of our partners receiving this needed funding for their programs.

A group of more than 100 people sit at tables, attending a day-long conference

Jun 18, 2024

Digital Inclusion Leaders Gather in Flat Rock for BAND-NC Digital Opportunities Gathering

More than 130 digital inclusion experts and community leaders from 40 NC counties gathered on June 4, 2024, at Blue Ridge Community College for IEI's first Digital Opportunities: Growing Connections Across North Carolina conference.

Four adults, two men and two women, sitting around a table in a library. The two women are working at a laptop and the two men are talking to each otherl

Jun 3, 2024

Growing Connections: Celebrating Western NC’s Digital Inclusion Plans and Projects

IEI is celebrating digital inclusion partners in Western North Carolina who have worked with local organizations to create digital inclusion plans and projects for their regions.

Mar 5, 2024

Net Inclusion 2024: A North Carolina Love Story

This year, I spent Valentine’s Day with almost 1,300 people in Philadelphia for the National Digital Inclusion Alliance’s 2024 Net Inclusion conference where we celebrated our love for digital equity. [Blog post by Jess Epsten]

Feb 5, 2024

IEI Receives $260,000 to Address Digital Divide in Eastern North Carolina

IEI has received two grants totaling $260,000 to assist communities in eastern North Carolina with digital inclusion planning, bringing the institute closer to its goal of all 100 counties having a local-level digital inclusion plan in place by the end of 2024.