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Chatham County adopts digital inclusion plan; grant funding to provide training and laptops
Summary
County staff presented the newly adopted digital inclusion plan and described state and federal grant efforts to expand broadband and digital literacy, including an $800,000 award to Central Pines Regional Council that will support training and distribute laptops to residents who complete courses.
County staff presented the Chatham County digital inclusion plan and updates on broadband grant programs, including state and federal efforts and a new regional digital‑equity award that will fund training and devices.
Brenton Hart, identified in the meeting as the county presenter on digital inclusion, said the county adopted a comprehensive digital inclusion plan in December that organizes work into three pillars: availability (broadband infrastructure), access (affordability and devices) and adoption (digital literacy and technical support). Hart said the county’s plan includes goals to improve broadband mapping, coordinate connectivity for unserved areas and form a digital inclusion steering committee with partners including the schools.
Hart summarized grant activity affecting Chatham County. He said a World Digital Opportunity Fund award covered about 3,448 census‑block locations but noted the federal grant was “aborted” (the presenter said no federal funding was used to build networks in those locations). Hart also described two state Great Grant awards (one through AT&T and one through BrightSpeed/Bridal Speed — as presented) and said the combined project costs and matches for the state awards amount to about $8.1 million. He said the state’s Completing Access to Broadband (CAB) program will serve about 2,555 locations and that the county had initially allocated about $2 million as a match; per Hart, recent state law changes meant the state is providing that match so the county’s $2 million allocation is no longer required.
Hart described a North Carolina Department of Information Technology‑funded digital equity award administered by Central Pines Regional Council (CPRC) on behalf of Chatham and Durham counties. He said the CPRC award totals $800,000 and will support digital‑inclusion activities, including free digital literacy classes and a device distribution program that will make about 500 laptops available to residents who complete training. Hart said the program will prioritize populations such as low‑income residents, people with low literacy or limited English proficiency, justice‑impacted individuals, seniors and racial or ethnic groups.
Hart also noted county tools to help residents locate grant‑funded expansion on maps and referenced a county GIS broadband hub that aggregates state mapping and grant information. Commissioners and board members discussed provider territories and proprietary business decisions affecting expansion; Hart said there are generally no territorial prohibitions except where federal funding constraints or session laws apply.
The presenter invited libraries and community partners to help enroll residents; Hart said some library classes were scheduled for March and that CPRC will provide pre‑ and post‑test data for program participants. County staff provided links and packet materials with the digital inclusion plan and mapping resources for follow up.
