Group Discusses Strategies to Improve Rural Internet Access

Dr. Jonathan Vester, NCC Vice President for Technology and Chief Information Officer

Nash Community College hosted a meeting of public agencies on Tuesday, September 24, 2019 to explore strategies for addressing the lack of high-speed internet access in some areas of eastern North Carolina. Sponsored by Encore Technologies Group, the event was held in the Continuing Education and Public Services Building.

Representatives from Nash and Edgecombe Community Colleges, Nash-Rocky Mount Public Schools, Cisco Systems, ViewSonic, and Encore Technologies Group discussed ideas to help bridge the rural technology divide. In his presentation, Dr. Jonathan Vester, NCC Vice President for Technology and Chief Information Officer, provided demographic and geographic trends and proposed potential solutions for rural residents to access wireless high-speed internet by utilizing public facilities as connection points. Additionally, vendors presented hardware and software solutions that could be used across both wide-area and small local networks for emergency communication. By addressing the technological needs of rural communities collectively, the group hopes to combine and leverage various funding sources to maximize the initiative’s reach.

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