Governor Roy Cooper today urged the public to participate in the state’s first Digital Equity Survey by Aug. 31 to share their needs for digital skills to safely access the internet. Responses from people across North Carolina will be used to help ensure the state’s Digital Equity Plan best meets the needs of all North Carolinians. Organizations that provide digital equity resources are also asked to respond to the state’s Asset Inventory Survey on available resources to support digital equity and literacy needs.
“We want all North Carolinians to be able to afford the internet and know how to use it,” said Governor Roy Cooper. “I encourage everyone to share feedback through these surveys to help us achieve internet for all.”
The N.C. Department of Information Technology’s (NCDIT) Office of Digital Equity and Literacy created the surveys in collaboration with the Friday Institute at NC State University as part of its work to execute Governor Cooper’s plan to close the digital divide. The Digital Equity Survey, available in the top nine languages and dialects in the state, can be taken online at go.ncsu.edu/DESurvey for users with internet access or can be accessed as paper form at www.ncbroadband.gov/digitalequity for users without service. Participants may request paper surveys with self-addressed, stamped envelopes via email to peer-team-fi@ncsu.edu or may email scanned copies to the same email address.
The Asset Inventory Survey, administered in conjunction with N.C. Central University, is available at go.ncsu.edu/nc_assets for all organizations, businesses, and programs that support internet affordability, access to computers and digital devices, digitals skills and literacy, tech support, and free Wi-Fi. The deadline for both surveys is Aug. 31.
“Each individual and each community has unique needs,” said NCDIT Secretary and State Chief Information Officer Jim Weaver. “By collecting the data to understand what those are, we can design the best strategies and implementation plans to expand digital equity for all North Carolinians.”
To help local organizations and governments understand the digital landscape of their community, NCDIT is providing digital inclusion profiles for each county and council of government region. The individual presentations may be downloaded and adapted for planning purposes from www.ncbroadband.gov/digitalequity.
For more information about the NCDIT Division of Broadband and Digital Equity and Governor Cooper’s plan to close the digital divide, please visit www.ncbroadband.gov.