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From hurdles to high-speed: A Community Capital Framework approach to understanding barriers to broadband adoption and availability in North Carolina’s rural counties

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https://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/concern/graduate_projects/z316q9423

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  • Access to broadband internet is vital for rural communities in the digital age, but persistent barriers impact adoption and availability. This topic is analyzed through the lens of the Community Capital Framework (Emery & Flora, 2006). By surveying county commissioners, the research aims to better understand rural broadband challenges and opportunities from a local perspective. A survey was constructed utilizing the seven types of community capital to inform the questions, and sent to 385 county commissioners in 77 rural counties in North Carolina. Given prior research, it was anticipated that deficits in financial capital and human capital would yield the most barriers to broadband adoption and availability. However, the findings suggest barriers related to financial capital, social capital, and built capital are most prevalent and daunting to overcome in North Carolina’s rural counties. The theme of rural isolation was emphasized in many reported barriers and highlighted the ways in which each type of capital manifested in rural communities. This research underscores a critical imperative for holistic interventions that simultaneously address broadband adoption and availability. The findings reveal that bridging the digital divide in rural North Carolina necessitates not only infrastructure development but also targeted initiatives to increase affordability of Internet service and leverage community engagement. As policymakers and community leaders grapple with the challenges uncovered in this study, a dual focus on broadband adoption and availability emerges as an essential strategy for fostering digital equity and inclusion in rural communities.
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