Dr. Adam Dewbury, Ph.D., and Shaniqua Corley-Moore from The Center on Rural Innovation, join Gary Bolton to discuss The Practitioner’s Guide to Rural Digital Inclusion. Their conversation explored how communities can move beyond simply connecting residents to broadband and ensure they have the skills and support to use it meaningfully. Dr. Dewbury explained that while broadband access in rural areas has expanded significantly over the past decade, “access does not equal inclusion.” He noted that 92 percent of jobs today require some level of digital skill, and workers with at least one digital skill earn 23 percent more than those without. “Broadband is not a luxury, it’s a necessity, and so is knowing how to use it effectively,” he said. Corley-Moore, who leads CORI’s workforce development initiatives, described how her team partners with community leaders, employers, and training providers to help rural residents build technology skills and connect to remote and digital jobs. “Once we connect people, what happens next?” she asked. “Digital inclusion is all about helping people use that connection to learn, work, start businesses, and participate in the digital economy.” 

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