AN ACT to appropriate funds to the technology and data institute to operate a pilot program to expand high‑speed internet access to students of low‑income families in central north carolina.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

SECTION 1.  There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Office of State Budget and Management the sum of one million dollars ($1,000,000) in nonrecurring funds for the 2021‑2022 fiscal year to allocate to the Technology and Data Institute, a public service consortium of public entities, including Guilford County Schools, the City of Greensboro, Guilford County, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro to operate a pilot program to expand high‑speed internet access to students of low‑income families in central North Carolina, beginning with the 2021‑2022 school year. The pilot program shall prioritize students without sufficient broadband access for online learning and focus on developing a sustainable model for the design, building, and operation of the technology infrastructure and services required to deliver high‑quality and easy‑to‑use internet access for all prekindergarten through postdoctoral students in the 12‑county Piedmont region of North Carolina.

SECTION 2.  This act becomes effective July 1, 2021.