e-NC Authority State Broadband Survey

The e-NC Authority is conducting an online survey on broadband access across North Carolina as part of a planning project for the state. The survey will provide businesses, governments and policy makers with information on usage and challenges of high-speed broadband in the state.

More than 100,000 e-mails have been sent to NC addresses with links to the survey. Results from the survey will help the authority identify where broadband goes in North Carolina as well as to the degree and purposes for its use. "Future economic growth and prosperity for both North Carolina and the nation depends on the availability and use of high-speed broadband," said Jane Smith Patterson, executive director of e-NC Authority. "We are especially concerned about rural areas and small towns in North Carolina because broadband access and utilization are still a challenge in these communities."

The authority was awarded a $2 million grant by the National Telecommunications and Informational Administration to produce a multi-year broadband mapping and planning program for North Carolina. Broadband availability data will be collected will help determine the state's broadband map and will be included in NTIA's national map. NTIA is part of the U.S. Department of Commerce. E-NC, a public-private authority created by the General Assembly, is charged with creating jobs through technology-based economic development that requires broadband access.