Case Study: Community Solutions to Rural Technology Gaps in MS
How community-driven partnerships transform access to computers, the internet, and opportunity.
In Mississippi’s Coahoma and Warren counties, thousands of households face significant barriers to digital access, including limited access to large-screen computers, reliable internet, and digital skills support. For many people, this gap goes beyond devices and affects daily opportunities.It limits access to education, employment, healthcare, and vital services.
Digitunity, in collaboration with the Mississippi Broadband Association, AT&T, and local community organizations, set out to change that. The case study captures project activities through January 2025.
What’s Inside the Case Study
This in-depth case study shares:
- Local data on digital device access, income, and education in Coahoma and Warren counties
- Real stories from residents who participated in focus groups and received laptops
- A breakdown of Digitunity’s partnership approach, including device distribution and digital skills programming
- Early outcomes show how digital access enables education, workforce participation, and community connection.
- A scalable model for rural digital equity that other communities can learn from
Why It Matters
- 39% of households in Coahoma County do not have any type of computing device or relied only on a smartphone to go online.
- 25.3% of households in Warren County did not have any type of computing device or relied solely on a smartphone for their internet connectivity.
- Residents report difficulty finding affordable, reliable devices and navigating limited public tech access.
- Focus group participants describe computer ownership as life-changing, enabling them to complete online coursework, attend telehealth appointments, and support family members.
Explore the Full Story
This case study offers a blueprint for building sustainable digital opportunity efforts in rural communities, grounded in data, shaped by lived experience, and driven by local partnership.
Digitunity developed this case study in partnership with the Mississippi Broadband Association, and with financial support from AT&T, and with the support of local community leaders in Coahoma and Warren Counties.
Through individual and corporate donations of technology, we work every day to help ensure that everyone can thrive in our digital society. Digitunity partners with 1500+ nonprofit organizations to distribute new and refurbished computers.
This original research commissioned by Digitunity shows that internet access and use increases rural economic and community development. The purpose of this brief is to raise awareness of the difficulties rural communities face when trying to address the device ownership issue.
We envision a world where anyone, in any community, can obtain a computer, free from barriers to ownership. Through integrated, sustainable systems, we are working to create long-lasting solutions that ensure access to the tools people need to thrive in a digital society.