North Carolina Uses Infrastructure Impact Assessment To Architect a Better Future—Statewide Technology Inventory to Identify Pockets of Need

The Client

The State of North Carolina launched an Infrastructure Inventory and Assessment as part of its broader, long-range plan to provide Internet access to every citizen across the state and in turn, enable access to numerous automated state services. The North Carolina Rural Internet Access Authority is responsible for the e-NC project.

The Challenge

In the state capital of Raleigh, North Carolina, leaders of e-NC, a grassroots campaign to link all North Carolinians to the Internet, recently initiated an inventory and assessment project to determine what telecommunications technology and other support infrastructure exists statewide.

The Solution

The North Carolina Rural Internet Access Authority engaged BearingPoint to manage its infrastructure assessment inventory. Through the inventory, the Authority will be able to offer citizens a look at what technology infrastructure is in place, highlight pockets of need, and identify where services need to expand. The State of North Carolina considers the inventory a critical component in creating a foundation for building the state's technology infrastructure to support high-speed Internet access, which will enhance the state's economy and boost the quality of life of its constituents.

BearingPoint will assess current and potential uses of existing technology, and the capability of current systems to handle online commerce and administer critical public services including health care, disaster management, legal and judicial services, education and training, and other government programs.

By November 2001, BearingPoint will have identified and documented the telephone, fiber optic and cable lines; transmission towers and satellites; and other service providers that make Internet access possible in North Carolina. This assessment is a significant step for e-NC, which has committed to making affordable, high-speed Internet access available to all North Carolinians by December 2003.

The Benefits

BearingPoint is scheduled to deliver the final Infrastructure Inventory and Assessment report on this effort in December 2001. This engagement exemplifies the extensive involvement and experience BearingPoint has in the government sector, and provides an excellent foundation for building a relationship with the North Carolina State Government, and other state governments, that will most certainly lead to additional opportunities for the company, and our clients, in the future.