The Center for Digital Equity at Queens University of Charlotte launches with North End Digital Equity Day Saturday at The Nest at Camp North End. The center will give away free notebook computers to the first 100 eligible residents and provide digital resources for low-income households.

A digital equity initiative launches Saturday by connecting north Charlotte residents to the internet.

The Center for Digital Equity at Queens University of Charlotte will host North End Digital Equity Day from 10 a.m.-12 p.m. at The Nest at Camp North End, 1774 Statesville Ave. The event, a collaboration with the North End Community Coalition, includes a free notebook computer for the first 100 eligible residents, digital resources, and sign-ups for the Affordable Connectivity Program, a high-speed internet initiative for homes that lack it.

ACP was created by the bipartisan infrastructure law that provides eligible families $30 per month discounts on internet service for the next five years.

People in the Greenville, Druid Hills, Lockwood, Graham Heights, Brightwalk, J.T. Williams, The Park at Oaklawn, and Genesis Park neighborhoods are eligible for the giveaway.

North End Digital Equity Day is the first in a series of community engagement events CDE has planned in Mecklenburg County to close digital inequity.  The digital divide affects an estimated 18 million U.S. households that have internet access but lack the money to connect.  CDE, formerly Digital Charlotte, is partnering with the national non-profit EducationSuperHighway to help low-income Mecklenburg County residents sign up for affordable broadband service, technology, and connectivity assistance.

“Having a partnership with EducationSuperHighway is critical to our goal of helping residents of Mecklenburg County adopt the internet,” said Bruce Clark, CDE’s executive director. “Their expertise and national experience have fast-tracked our ability to deliver on this mission.”

EducationSuperHighway works with public and private stakeholders to link unconnected households to high-speed internet as well as solutions for multi-dwelling units with managed Wi-Fi. Two-thirds of America’s unconnected households can’t afford an available internet connection and the broadband affordability gap disproportionately impacts low-income, Black, and Latino Americans as well as people with less than a high school education.

“Partnerships like this provide a blueprint for the collaboration needed to raise awareness of the Affordable Connectivity Program and support eligible households to enroll,” said Evan Marwell, founder and CEO of EducationSuperHighway. “We are excited to be partnering with the Center for Digital Equity as they have the knowledge and connections needed to remove the awareness, trust, and enrollment barriers that have stood in the way of so many households taking advantage of federal broadband benefits and getting connected to the internet.”

Digital navigators will be on-site to answer questions and provide information. For eligibility requirements and to RSVP, go to https://bit.ly/NECCLaptop.

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