BEAD and Digital Opportunity

The state has a comprehensive strategy to close the digital divide in North Carolina, and the Division of Broadband and Digital Opportunity is executing that strategy by ensuring that all North Carolinians have access to an affordable, high-speed internet connection and have the devices and skills necessary to participate in the modern digital economy. The division held a listening tour to collect feedback and ensure the state’s comprehensive plans to address high-speed internet access, devices and digital skills are inclusive of all N.C. communities and populations’ needs. 

BEAD Five-Year Plan

Read the BEAD Five-Year Plan, which includes feedback received during the public comment period, outlines how NCDIT will invest BEAD funding across North Carolina. This plan was approved by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).

BEAD Initial Proposal

The BEAD initial proposal provides responses to the BEAD Notice of Funding Opportunity requirements and comes after NTIA’s approval of the division’s five-year action plan in August. The proposal addresses the division’s plans for the competitive process it will use to select subgrantees for broadband projects, ensure workforce development, continue stakeholder engagement, and engage historically underutilized businesses and underrepresented groups in BEAD deployment.

The draft initial proposal Volumes 1 and 2, which include feedback submitted during the public comment period, were submitted to NTIA in late December 2023 for approval. 

BEAD Program Overview

The Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) plan describes North Carolina’s strategy to expand high-speed Internet access through planning, infrastructure deployment and adoption programs over the next five years. To develop the plan, the Division of Broadband & Digital Opportunity engaged stakeholders through local coordination to improve mapping, inventory existing assets, assess remaining needs, and defining strategies to meet those needs. The BEAD plan incorporates the findings and strategies identified. 

Digital Opportunity Program Overview 

The Digital Opportunity plan identifies the digital needs and recommend solutions to ensure that all North Carolinians can afford high-speed internet, have the digital devices they need and the skills to use them, and are able to safely engage with online information. The planning process involved significant engagement with individuals, organizations, and communities across the state to ensure that the voices of those who have been excluded from digital opportunity are at the center of this process. The plan is actionable and sets the state’s priorities for the next five years. 

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