HAVE YOU ENTERED YOUR SPEED INFORMATION?

Help us find unserved and underserved areas around the state. Complete the Broadband Speed Reporting Tool

Read the Connecting North Carolina State Broadband Plan

SUPPORTING STUDENTS, EDUCATORS, FIRST RESPONDERS, & BUSINESSES

HELPING COMMUNITIES DEVELOP AN INTEGRAL PART OF 21ST CENTURY TECHNOLOGY INFRASTRUCTURE

Broadband is another term for bandwidth, or the amount of data that can be sent through a connection to access high-speed Internet. The more bandwidth, the more information a user can send or receive at any given time. Broadband is an integral part of building a 21st century technology infrastructure that supports students, educators, first responders, and businesses.

Every K – 12 school in the state has high-speed Internet access, and 98% are served by dedicated fiber. Today, North Carolina is adapting to the changing demands of technology by extending Wi-Fi access to classrooms to support digital learning. To complete the recommendations of the North Carolina Digital Learning Plan, BIO will develop a plan to provide Internet access to all underserved homes to facilitate student access beyond the schoolhouse.

STATE BROADBAND PLAN

Develop a guiding document intended to inform policy makers as they create, implement and impact policies on the deployment, adoption and use of digital Infrastructure and broadband enhance economic development, education, public safety and government efficiency

ADOPTION INITIATIVES

Analyze and develop recommendations to incentivize and increase adoption with the idea that if they demand it, it will come

STATE AGENCY COORDINATION

Lead a state multi-agency planning group-NC Broadband Interagency Group (NCBIG) a multi-agency effort to align technology infrastructure goals among the cabinet and other agencies

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

Develop and provide a County Index Rating tool to identify areas of need based on infrastructure, adoption rates and community readiness. Research, inform & assist communities through established grant programs, relationships with federal and NGOs or private foundations, & finding or creating grant opportunities for a “last mile” pilot

A NEW APPROACH

COORDINATION & COLLABORATION

We work across state agencies to align coordinate the state’s digital infrastructure resources,
programs & relevant state agencies.

Connecting businesses
Supporting expansion

BroadbandIO aligns NC Broadband, the statewide effort to expand high-speed Internet access, with the FirstNet public safety initiative for improved resource-sharing across state agencies.

The centralized and streamlined Office provides the opportunity to work across agencies and identify infrastructure development needs across North Carolina.

Our mission includes creating the nation’s first giga-state by 2020, expanding broadband access to underserved communities, & supporting digital learning by extending Wi-Fi access to every classroom in the State.

We also provide policy recommendations & guidance to government leaders & key stakeholders to foster digital infrastructure expansion, adoption, & use.

PRESS RELEASE: State Broadband Office Releases Community Playbook

by Wes King | March 28, 2018 | Community Broadband Playbook | 0 Comments

Raleigh, N.C. – Eric Boyette, Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Information Technology (DIT) and State Chief Information Officer, on Wednesday announced the launch of the Community Broadband Playbook. The Community Broadband Playbook, developed in NC DIT’s...

ICYMI: North Carolina Looks to Innovative Solutions, Partnerships to Bridge Homework Gap

by Wes King | September 19, 2017 | Homework Gap | 1 Comment

More than 70 policy-makers, educators, community leaders and stakeholders convened Wednesday to address digital inequity in North Carolina, focusing on the homework gap: the difficulty or inability of students who lack high-speed internet connectivity at home to...

Spreading the Word about your Downtown Wifi Program

by Wes King | August 1, 2017 | Downtown WiFi | 0 Comments

Providing free wifi in your downtown can be an excellent way to encourage people to spend more time at local shops and businesses, growing local revenue and marketability. But many local communities struggle with spreading the word about this feature. Marketing your...

Four Steps to Building Your Downtown Wifi Program

by Wes King | July 25, 2017 | Downtown WiFi | 0 Comments

Getting your downtown WiFi program off the ground can seem like a daunting task. You can think of every reason in the world to start, but there are so many buildings, and then paperwork, and finding funds, and wires… oh the wires. The most important step to getting...

Research Recall: North Carolina Public Wi-Fi Networks

by Wes King | July 11, 2017 | Downtown WiFi, Reports & Research | 0 Comments

Since the report was released a number of years ago, the importance and value of downtown wi-fi for citizens, small businesses and visitors has only grown. NC Local governments have learned this and many more have begun offering it as a service to their citizens,...

Innovation and Technological Breakthrough

Our state has more than 100 Internet Service Providers including world communications leaders such as Google Fiber, AT&T, Frontier, Time Warner, Century Link

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