When: January 13th from 10:00 – 12:00 p.m.
Learn about what’s going on in your county, state, country, and how you can be a part of a more digitally equitable North Carolina.
We will start the planning at this event, so share with all your interested partners in digital equity.
Contact Sara Nichols at sara@landofsky.org for more information.
Digital Inclusion Event Registration
This project is made possible by the generous support of BAND-NC Institute for Emerging Issues.
The election is behind us. What does the future of broadband have in the future with the Biden Administration?
Listen to the discussion on broadband and the FCC policy future:
ln this ~8 minute video Mashable’s Rachel Kraus walks through the many ways the digital divide has intensified during the COVID-19 pandemic and why thinking about the internet as a freeway could inform how we close it.
The video includes wonderful graphs and images to support the visualization of the technology topics including:
It takes partnerships and collaboration to maintain and improve the health, education, and economic development of our Western North Carolina communities.
We illuminated just how critical broadband access is for learning, working or even supplying a family in quarantine.
Susan Mims, Interim CEO at the Dogwood Health Trust, April 30, 2021 Newsletter
What is the pathway to future Western North Carolina growth?
High speed internet or broadband and fiber optics will have a critical role!
Requires the state board of education to maintain a digital learning dashboard updated annually by public school units and requires recommendations to the joint legislative education oversight committee based on information on student digital learning access during COVID-19.
Education and Schools and Rural and Underserved
Makes modifications to COVID-19 relief legislation and provides additional appropriations for the expenditure of federal COVID-19 pandemic relief funds., includes student connectivity funds for complimentary internet service.
Education and Schools, Funding and Rural and Underserved
Appropriates funds to the department of information technology for the preparation of statewide broadband maps and establishes the department as the sole source of broadband mapping for state agencies.
Funding and Mapping
Fosters infrastructure for broadband expansion and resources in North Carolina by authorizing counties and cities to install and lease broadband infrastructure to increase adequate broadband services to attract investment in local economies, provide for educational and career opportunities, modernize farming technologies, and to provide for improved health care.
Infrastructure
Enacts the North Carolina Broadband Consumer Protection Act to provide oversight of broadband service by the North Carolina utilities commission.
Consumer Relations and Governance
Appropriates funds to the department of information technology for the preparation of statewide broadband maps and to establish the department as the sole source of broadband mapping for state agencies; relieves regulatory burdens to expedite broadband expansion; allows for use of existing easements for broadband expansion; expands distribution of state surplus computers and computer hardware for nonprofits; allows local government leasing of existing broadband infrastructure; expands funding for G.R.E.A.T. program broadband grants; and provides stopgap internet access for classroom access, health care access, and job creation.
Education and Schools, Funding, Infrastructure, Mapping and Rural and Underserved
Establishes the North Carolina broadband assistance program to provide funds to eligible low-income families to help make broadband access more affordable.
Rural and Underserved
Fosters infrastructure for broadband expansion and resources in North Carolina by authorizing counties and cities to build and lease facilities and equipment of broadband services to increase adequate broadband services in rural areas of the state where the need for broadband is great due to many factors, including the COVID-19 pandemic.
Municipal and Rural and Underserved
Appropriates funds to the technology and data institute to operate a pilot program to expand high-speed internet access to students of low-income families in central North Carolina.
Funding, High Speed and Rural and Underserved
Facilitates the expansion of broadband service in unserved areas of the state by ensuring timely and nondiscriminatory access to municipal and electric membership cooperative utility poles, ducts, and conduits at just and reasonable rates; authorizes counties to provide grants to high-speed internet access service providers and to build facilities and equipment of a broadband service and to levy taxes for those purposes; further defines the term “city utility pole”; prohibits certain fees for the collocation of small wireless facilities; and makes related changes.
Funding, High Speed, Infrastructure, Rural and Underserved and Taxes
Broadband 2021 Legislation. (2021). Ncsl.org. https://www.ncsl.org/research/telecommunications-and-information-technology/broadband-2021-legislation.aspx
In a world of wireless sensors that allow the connection of our physical and digital worlds; how does or how could a Asheville effectively be a smarter IoT city? A couple of key ingredients include broadband and sensors. What are or what could be the WNC applications of these IoT sensors?
With the very large Biltmore Vineyards, could sensors monitor soil moisture and trunk diameter to control the amount of sugar in grapes and grapevine health?
If the French Broad River had IoT sensors that monitor agriculture, farming, industry, services; to detect leakages, tracking pressure and volume variations along pipes, and checking water quality for river sports.
Tourist and downtown shoppers are privileged to have wireless payments benefits for parking in Downtown Asheville. Analytics of parking space data is also managed by the City of Asheville’s App.
With parking meters, users have the option for either a debit or credit card and the use of the Passport app for parking payments and automated reminders.
Clean air is critical for our citizens and tourists. Capturing data, benchmarking, and reporting this data to control pollution is critical for our health and well-being. Asheville is a climatic data center and no doubt, data is likely acquired through IoT type of devices.
Two Whole Foods grocery stores in Asheville already have Amazon Lockers that provides IoT mechanisms to deliver small products.
50 Sensor Applications for a Smarter World – Libelium. (2020, September 9). Libelium. https://www.libelium.com/libeliumworld/top_50_iot_sensor_applications_ranking/
“Smart” parking meters to be installed throughout downtown Asheville | The City of Asheville. (2018, January 29). The City of Asheville. https://www.ashevillenc.gov/news/smart-parking-meters-coming-throughout-downtown-asheville/
Western North Carolina Broadband Project Chair Dr. William Sederburg talks about broadband and the situation of broadband maps from the FCC and the actual situation of broadband service as detailed in his letter to the FCC.
00:00 – Organized through University of North Carolina Asheville
01:36 – Former FCC Officials Stagg Newman & Greg Voyt in WNC
02:21 – FCC Presentation
03:00 – WNC Broadband Project’s start
04:42 – ‘Future Proof’ Broadband
06:11 – ‘Lack of broadband infrastructure is NOT just a rural problem’
07:19 – Buncombe County Map – No Services offered in red, white areas do not have adequate broadband
08:21 – Conclusion, Federal policy changes, WNC short-changed services, WNCBP offer to help FCC with maps (see the letter below)
Because broadband is a critical need for economic growth, education, tele-health, and more; the WNC Broadband Project is here to advocate for broadband improvements for our communities.
What did the implementation of electricity and the telephone do to local economies and communities?
With the telephone financial loan program roots of the Rural Electrification Act (REA) in 1946 only 39% of rural Americans had phone service and communities banded together to serve themselves.
Federal infrastructure programs in the United States have a foundational element to the current broadband needs. How did the REA and RUS create roots for a broadband revolution?
REA provided federal loans for the installation of electrical distribution systems to serve isolated rural areas of the United States. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rural_Electrification_Act
RUS implemented programs to provide infrastructure or infrastructure improvements to rural communities, including water and waste treatment, electric power, and telecommunications services. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rural_Utilities_Service
Like the WNC Broadband Project with the roots of two former FCC builders, Stagg Newman and Greg Volt; community-based programs are working towards creating the architecture; to get the broadband job done!
Support the WNC Broadband Project for digital inclusion in Western North Carolina.
Thanks to @sbloomfield15 for this blog inspiration.
To put a finer point on the rural #broadband revolution – its roots actually began in 1949 w/REA Telephone Loan program when only 39% of rural Americans had phone service and communities banded together to serve themselves. Community-based providers getting the job done today! pic.twitter.com/WKobC8Rltb
— Shirley Bloomfield (@sbloomfield15) April 23, 2021
Located at 67 Haywood Street, the Pack Library and is the main branch in the Buncombe County Public Library System.
The first Pack Library was built and named for George Willis Pack in 1911.
This newer, 56,000-square foot facility was built in 1978 and renovated in 2012.
It includes digital resources including:
What is your favorite digital resource at Buncombe County libraries; and why?
Libraries – Pack Memorial. Buncombecounty.org. https://www.buncombecounty.org/governing/depts/library/branch-locations/pack-memorial.aspx
With a Buncombe County library card in good standing, a laptop and/or a hot spot can now be checked-out thanks to grant funding from the State Library of North Carolina through the CARES Act, Museum and Library Services (IMLS) under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA).
Call the Ask-a-Librarian line at (828) 250-4700 to request a device. There is no charge for the service but charges may be incurred for late returns or losses.
More details are linked in the articles below.
Barrows, K. (2021, April 18). Buncombe Co. libraries launch laptop loan program in an effort to “bridge digital divide.” WLOS; WLOS. https://wlos.com/news/local/buncombe-co-libraries-launch-laptop-loan-program-in-an-effort-to-bridge-digital-divide
Barrows, K. (2021, April 18). Buncombe Co. libraries launch laptop loan program in an effort to “bridge digital divide.” WLOS; WLOS. https://wlos.com/news/local/buncombe-co-libraries-launch-laptop-loan-program-in-an-effort-to-bridge-digital-divide
WiFi parking lots are also available.
Broadband or high speed internet provides many opportunities:
But what if your community does not get broadband or internet speeds for the future? 25 Mbps down and 3 Mbps up would likely not be sufficient for 4k resolution large television monitors and definitely not enough speed for 8k resolution monitors.
The featured screen-shot (above) informed me that in my work location, my download speeds would likely not be sufficient for gaming on Google’s new Stadia platform at 4K resolution.
Let’s take this concept to the future.
So if your broadband speeds are not fast enough for 4k resolution and current monitors?
What about the necessary internet speeds for other high speed internet benefits?
If you worked for a branch of North Carolina’s Epic Games, a huge global gaming platform; you’d likely not consider coming to Asheville or Western North Carolina to work remotely if very high speed internet is necessary for employment and entertainment.
To future-proof our investments in broadband networks; DSL, cable, satellite, and sometimes wireless broadband services may likely not provide the gigabit speeds needed for our future. Fiber to the home or business is the future-proof investment needed for WNC!
The Education and Research Consortium of the Western Carolinas, Inc (“ERC”, also known as “ERC Broadband”) is proud to announce it has selected Skyrunner as the awardee of its Request for Proposal (“RFP”) to expand broadband in the Fines Creek and Crabtree communities in Haywood County. This award is pursuant to funding received by the Appalachian Regional Commission (“ARC”).
ERC Press Release, April 15, 2021
View the full PDF press-release with this link
Thanks to the Southwestern Commission Regional Council of Governments, Region A; for sharing this emailed content.