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Institute for Emerging Issues

Digital Inclusion Resource Hub

Digital Inclusion Planning Resources

Planning Guides

BAND-NC Digital Inclusion Planning Guide

NC DIT’s Digital Inclusion Template & Guide

NDIA Digital Inclusion Coalition Guidebook

Completed North Carolina Plans

North Carolina Digital Equity Plan – Released April 2024

Literature Review of NC Digital Inclusion Plans – Last updated August 2023

Active Surveys

View the survey. Designed to gather information on locations (households and businesses) in the state without adequate internet access and speeds.

  • For Homes & Businesses with Internet Service: take the survey online 
  • For Homes & Businesses without Internet Service, take the survey by phone:
    • Text “internet” to 919-750-0553
    • OR call 919-750-0553

For organizations, businesses, and groups, this survey collects information about all organizations offering services that help people get online across the state. Initially created to inform NC’s Digital Inclusion Plan and will remain open to continue to compile assets and add them to a database.

Data Sources

NC One Map: Includes maps on broadband funding and grants, broadband adoption and availability index, NC Broadband Survey, and more. All data is available to download.

NC Asset Inventory: Current list of organizations offering services that help people get online across the state. This spreadsheet will be turned into a searchable database in summer 2024.

County and Regional Digital Inclusion Profiles: These profiles were created by Roberto Gallardo, Ph.D. using 2017-2021 Census Five-Year American Community Survey data and Ookla speed test data as a measure of broadband availability. The profiles are formatted in PowerPoint by County or Council of Government region. 

This comprehensive analysis of digital literacy and equity resources, articles, and data sets provides an important overview for creating a digital inclusion plan.

Statewide Listening Session Policy Briefs: Important listening sessions were conducted across the state in order to inform NC’s digital equity plan. Careful attention was paid to make sure the sessions were hosted in geographically diverse areas, with residents representing one or more of NC’s priority populations.

FCC National Broadband Map: Search for Broadband availability by address or provider. Download broadband data and make challenges to the map.

BAND-NC Webinars and Workshops

Broadband and Digital Inclusion Funding Programs

Digital Champion Grant (Awarded June 2024)

Connecting Minority Communities Program (CMC) Grant: Funds Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs), and Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs) to purchase broadband internet access service and eligible equipment or to hire and train information technology personnel.

Growing Rural Economies with Access to Technology (GREAT) Grant: Funds the deployment of broadband within unserved areas of economically distressed counties.

Broadband Pole Replacement Program: Program to quickly facilitate the deployment of broadband service to households, businesses, agricultural operations and community anchor institutions in areas unserved with broadband.

Applications accepted on a rolling basis.

Completing Access to Broadband (CAB) Program: Provides an opportunity for individual NC counties to partner with NCDIT to fund broadband deployment projects in unserved areas of each county.

Current active CAB proposals

Stop-Gap Solutions: Program requirements are currently under development.

Timeline of NC DIT Broadband Funding

QUICK LINKS

BAND-NC

As part of the Institute for Emerging Issues at NC State University, the BAND-NC team is proud to support IEI’s vision of a North Carolina where people connect and collaborate to build a vibrant and prosperous future for all. We do this through developing connections with regions and local communities across North Carolina to provide resources, training and thought partnership to address the digital divide.

Learn more 

NC DIT

To use information technology to make government more efficient, effective and user-friendly for the public, the N.C. Department of Information Technology was established in 2015 as a single source of accountability and authority for IT budgeting, personnel and oversight of information technology for many state agencies. Led by the state chief information officer, the department is the leading provider of IT services to state agencies, local governments and educational institutions across North Carolina.

Learn more 

National Digital Inclusion Alliance

National Digital Inclusion Alliance advances digital equity by supporting community programs and equipping policymakers to act. NDIA combines grassroots community engagement with technical knowledge, research, and coalition building to advocate on behalf of people working in their communities for digital equity.

Learn more 

What’s Missing?

Contact Jess Epsten with resources to add:

JE
Jess Epsten

Digital Inclusion Initiative Lead

919-513-0805