NC Governor Roy Cooper has just declared this week (August 16–20) as “Rural Broadband Week” in order to fight digital inequities across our state.
The new proclamation addresses numerous digital inclusion needs and orders the NC Department of Information Technology to detail a plan to expand digital infrastructure, tools and skills in rural areas.
“High-speed internet is essential infrastructure for everyone, from students and teachers to small business owners, workers, doctors and farmers and we need to improve access for rural communities across our state,” said Governor Cooper. “In the wake of the devastating COVID-19 pandemic, we have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to empower every household in North Carolina to use fast internet service to link to new skills, global markets, education and healthcare.”
Along with this week’s proclamation, Governor Cooper also recently signed a $1.2 billion Closing the Digital Divide Plan that will attempt to give at least 95% of households across our state access to high-speed broadband of at least 100/20 Mbps and address issues of affordability and digital literacy in rural NC counties.
You can read Governor Cooper’s full proclamation here and follow Rural Broadband Week activities here on Facebook and Twitter.
What do you think about Governor Cooper’s actions?