North Carolina Takes a Deeper Look at Statewide Access, Adoption, Digital Divide

The North Carolina Department of Information Technology (NCDIT) shared data indices that shine a light on the state of broadband access, adoption, and how the digital divide plays out across the state. The indices look at county-level data and reveal a variety of factors. Some results are a stark reality that the digital divide has widened as technology in some regions has advanced — such as indicators that show people have only DSL service and no Internet access at all juxtaposed against those communities where a majority of folks subscribe to available fiber optic connectivity. 

Amy Huffman, digital inclusion and policy manager for the state Broadband Infrastructure Office, noted that the indices are the beginning to the state's ability to measure benchmarks as they work toward digital inclusion: “These indices will give us great benchmarks for measuring change over time in broadband access and adoption and help us assess our progress in closing the digital divide.”