WinstonNet

The fcde committee (fcdigitalequity.org) is comprised of community members and representatives of the public, private, and nonprofit sectors who came together in 2020 with the goal of achieving digital equity county-wide. Fcde mission - to make broadband internet accessible, affordable, and relevant for all residents of winston-salem/forsyth county. Fcde vision - an engaged, inclusive community where all residents have access and the ability to advocate for themselves and their communities.

Winstonnet, through a united way nett grant, partnered with forsyth tech and forsyth county public library to provide digital literacy training to 100 unemployed/underemployed, low-income residents. Participants graduated from a 30hr basic computer/employment skills course through forsyth techs hrd program. Each student purchased a very low-cost, refurbished laptop computer with a 1-year warranty and was provided information on how to obtain affordable internet service offered. Winstonnet became the lead agency of the forsyth county digital equity initiative, where they organized digital tech connect events to train 30 youth digital navigators who trained 30 aging adults on basic computer literacy skills. A total of 23,429 unique users and 11,690 average users utilized the free public wifi.