The N.C. Department of Information Technology (NCDIT) Division of Broadband and Digital Equity’s five-year action plan for the state’s Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program funding has been approved by both the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).
The division made the draft plan available for public comment earlier this summer, refined it based on comments received, and then submitted to NTIA in late July as part of the process required for North Carolina to access its $1.5 billion federal BEAD funding allocation. A list of partners who provided comments can be found on page 38 of the final plan.
“The development of this plan will allow us to fully leverage our federal BEAD funding to connect all North Carolinians to affordable, reliable high-speed internet service,” said NCDIT Deputy Secretary for Broadband and Digital Equity Nate Denny. “Thank you to all our partners who provided input to help ensure we are working strategically to reach unserved areas, promote digital equity and close our state’s digital divide.”
The Division of Broadband and Digital Equity’s recent challenges to the Federal Communications Commission’s National Broadband Map aided in surfacing 115,000 additional North Carolina homes and businesses that do not have access to high-speed internet, adding more new unserved locations to the map through this process than any other state. These additions increased North Carolina’s funding allocation from the BEAD program.
The division is also developing a draft state digital equity plan that will be posted for public comment later this year before being submitted to NTIA. The state’s initial BEAD proposal is due to NTIA in December, and the BEAD challenge process to determine eligible locations will take place in 2024. Both the BEAD and digital equity plans will be implemented for the five-year period from 2024 to 2028.
The Division of Broadband and Digital Equity will host a Q3 BEAD and digital equity update webinar on workforce planning Monday, Sept. 18 from 2 to 3 p.m. Advance registration is required. More details on the state’s broadband workforce planning are available at ncbroadband.gov/workforce.
To learn more about the NCDIT Division of Broadband and Digital Equity and Governor Roy Cooper’s plan to close the digital divide in North Carolina, please visit ncbroadband.gov.