Five East Carolina University students are helping a Grifton-based wireless broadband provider increase access in eastern North Carolina, the university announced.
HarvestBeam Inc. is the recipient of a $199,000 USDA grant to collect data on broadband access in rural, low-income communities in the eastern region of the state.
Owner Jessica Zufolo told Grifton officials in March that HarvestBeam will use the funding in part to conduct an in-depth local market analysis on the availability and quality of internet access in a dozen communities in six counties in eastern North Carolina.
“Broadband access is crucial for many reasons, and without the internet, people are cut off from all sorts of important resources,” said Kristen Myers, chair and professor in the Department of Sociology, who helped recruit ECU students to work on the project.
The award also will be used to distribute broadband coverage surveys and assemble focus groups among community members and leaders to identify the level of internet service availability and consumer experience with existing services in the communities.
Documenting the true level of access and connectivity among rural residents, businesses and farms is critical and will help ensure that the North Carolina State Broadband Office understands where affordable and reliable internet access service is needed in the area, Zufolo said.
The grant is designed to show areas where people have insufficient access to the internet so that federal money can be used to improve infrastructure and get people connected.
In her grant proposal, Zufolo committed to hiring ECU students as paid interns and training them for their hands-on research, according to ECU News Service. This spring, she hired Christopher Bobbitt, who graduated in May with a degree in anthropology; Beck Squier, an undergraduate majoring in psychology; Oriana Corbett, a graduate student majoring in sociology; Cooper Hilbert, an undergraduate pursuing dual majors in economics and community and regional planning; and Noah Biggs, an undergraduate majoring in economics.
Bobbitt told ECU News Services he believes it is important to address digital equity issues faced by rural communities.
“By expanding broadband access and constructing new fixed wireless networks, we’re not just providing a service, we’re empowering these communities with the tools they need to thrive in today’s digital age,” he said. “It gives back to the community and puts power in their hands, enabling better access to education, health care and economic opportunities. To me, this project is a testament to how technology can bridge gaps and create a more equitable society.”
Corbett said the experience has taught her a great deal about rural broadband access and constraints for low-income areas, “and how the lack of affordable and reliable broadband service has held so many communities in Pitt County and elsewhere back.”
“Our work is truly getting to the heart of the problem — accurately documenting what rural households are receiving from their existing internet service provider versus what those providers report to the FCC and the state,” she said. “Going to residential, anchor institution and business consumers in all 13 communities and asking them what they are experiencing and paying will provide a much more accurate picture for state and federal broadband officials regarding the realities of inadequate connectivity.”
Hilbert said he and his family know firsthand how difficult it is not to have reliable internet coverage.
“Digital equity is something that I am very passionate about,” he said. “My mother struggled for years trying to get internet coverage when she had to move back to her hometown to take care of our grandparents, and so I learned in many ways what it meant to live in an area that was left without coverage from broadband companies.
“It can be disparaging, and I think many people don’t truly understand the extent of just how bad coverage is in some of these areas,” Hilbert said. “These are diverse communities, with people working remotely who need network access for their jobs, or families with children who all need the internet to complete their homework assignments and access educational resources. For them, it’s their livelihood, and it’s heartbreaking to hear how so many people have been left behind in a world that’s moving faster than ever in a digital direction.”
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