Collaborative Broadband Initiative Impact report

The NC Rural Center has advocated for rural broadband for more than two decades, beginning with its leadership of the e-NC Authority, a statewide initiative created in 2000 to promote broadband deployment.8 Since then, the Rural Center has continued to support broadband expansion through policy leadership, community engagement, and advocacy for state and federal investments. Recognizing that funding alone would not achieve universal connectivity, the Rural Center launched the Collaborative Broadband Initiative in 2022 with support from Dogwood Health Trust, the U.S. Economic Development Administration, and the Anonymous Trust. The CBI was created to help rural communities build the local leadership, technical capacity, and regional partnerships needed to maximize historic broadband investments. Working alongside county governments, regional councils of government, internet service providers, nonprofit organizations, and the North Carolina Division of Broadband and Digital Opportunity, the initiative supports local planning, stakeholder engagement, technical assistance, and broadband adoption efforts that complement infrastructure deployment. Broadband is more than physical infrastructure. It is the foundation for economic competitiveness, educational opportunity, healthcare access, precision agriculture, public safety, and civic participation. This report documents the Collaborative Broadband Initiative’s role in helping rural North Carolina communities prepare for and capitalize on this once-in-a-generation investment, demonstrating how sustained collaboration and local capacity can help ensure that geography does not determine opportunity.