Today, Randolph County was named a 2022 Digital Inclusion Trailblazer by the
National Digital Inclusion Alliance. This was the first time the county made the list for its leadership in digital equity.

Randolph County met six of the Digital Inclusion Trailblazer criteria. Cities have been vying for a place on the list since the honor was launched in 2016.

Kenneth Sherin, County Extension Director, said, “The goal in Randolph County is for every farm, household, and business to have the opportunity to EARN, LEARN, and BE WELL by using needed digital resources. We are currently seeking to hire the Digital Literacy and Skills Extension Agent who will be responsible for much of this work. To learn more, visit our website: https://randolph.ces.ncsu.edu/.”

Trailblazers are judged based on six criteria showing a city or county’s digital inclusion leadership. These include having full-time local government staff, a digital inclusion plan, an open-access coalition, survey research, funded digital inclusion programming, and efforts to increase affordability of home broadband service.

The six criteria also provide cities and counties that are just getting started with digital inclusion an effective pathway to
leadership in their community.

As the Infrastructure Act continues to roll out, city and county digital inclusion plans and work will continue to become more necessary and influential. As states create plans under the Digital Equity Act, they will be required to consult and
include existing city plans within their state.

ABOUT NATIONAL DIGITAL INCLUSION ALLIANCE: NDIA advances digital equity by supporting community programs and equipping policymakers to act. Working collaboratively with more than 800 digital inclusion practitioners, NDIA advocates for broadband access, tech devices, digital skills training, and tech support. For more information on Digital Inclusion Trailblazers, visit digitalinclusion.org/digital-inclusion-trailblazers.