The Divide: Closing the broadband adoption gap in Charlotte, North Carolina

This episode features Rachel Mukai Stark, smart cities program manager for the city of Charlotte, North Carolina; and Bruce Clark, executive director for the Center for Digital Equity at Queen's University of Charlotte. We discuss how broadband access in Charlotte has changed over the years, what's causing the digital divide and the city's roadmap to closing it, the importance of connecting communities with opportunities for digital training and more.

Here are a few topics discussed in this episode:

• The state of broadband access in Charlotte today and how it has evolved (01:54)
• Barriers to broadband adoption (02:40)
• How the digital divide intersects with other disparities (04:55)
• Google Fiber's entrance as a "catalyst" (06:27)
• Roadmap to closing the digital divide (08:09)
• How the smart cities program factors in digital inclusion (10:50)
• The role of federal funding in closing Charlotte's digital divide (13:44)

Related stories and links:

• About the Center for Digital Equity (Digital Charlotte)
• About Charlotte's smart cities program (Smart Charlotte)
• Google Fiber gets down to business with 2-Gig broadband
• White House touts ISP commitments to increase affordable access
• FCC starts process to stop digital redlining

— Nicole Ferraro, site editor, Broadband World News; senior editor, global broadband coverage, Light Reading. Host of "The Divide" on the Light Reading Podcast.