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Person County adopts digital inclusion plan to expand broadband access, devices and skills
Summary
The Person County Board of County Commissioners voted Jan. 21 to adopt a countywide digital inclusion plan developed with Cooperative Extension and local partners to address broadband availability, affordability, device access, digital literacy and community capacity.
The Person County Board of County Commissioners voted Jan. 21 to adopt the Person County Digital Inclusion Plan, a multi-agency strategy designed to expand broadband availability, improve affordability, increase device access, strengthen digital skills and build community capacity.
The plan, prepared by a county-led task force with contributions from North Carolina Cooperative Extension, Piedmont Community College, the Person County Public Library, the Roxboro Housing Authority and other partners, was presented to the board by Beau Freeman, director with Cooperative Extension, and Ashley Cummings, digital skills agent with NC State Cooperative Extension. Commissioners approved the motion to adopt after presentations and brief discussion.
Why it matters: The plan sets county priorities for reducing the digital divide, aligns with Person County strategic-plan goals and is intended to make the county eligible for state and federal broadband and digital-equity grants. Presenters said the plan is a living document and that making it an approved county plan is a step toward securing grant funding and coordinating local resources.
Presenters described five primary factors in the plan: broadband availability, broadband affordability, device access, digital literacy and technical support, and community capacity. Strategies include partnering with the North Carolina Department of Information Technology (NCDIT) and pursuing grant opportunities such as NCDIT programs (including the GREAT grant and related programs), updating broadband mapping, expanding publicly available Wi-Fi at anchor institutions, and coordinating local partners to reduce overlap and increase reach.
Ashley Cummings described community outreach that informed the plan, including a bilingual digital access survey (English and Spanish) with a data slice from August 2023 to August 2024, listening sessions, and printed and QR-code distribution. The presenters said the plan was intentionally written to be accessible at about a sixth-grade reading level and that a 50-page version is available in the board packet and will be published to the public following the board's approval.
Commissioners praised the collaborative effort, cited existing partnerships (including device-distribution programs via the Cramden Institute and local housing authority initiatives) and acknowledged remaining gaps the plan aims to address. The board approved the plan by voice vote; no opposed votes were recorded.
Implementation notes: county staff said the plan will be filed with the state and used to pursue grants and to coordinate a continuing task force that will monitor outcomes and update the plan as conditions change.
