Making difference in the community: Cooper Hilbert’s summer internship

ECU News Service featured a story, Students research broadband access for rural, low-income eastern North Carolina communities, including Cooper Hilbert’s summer internship experiences with HarvestBeam, Inc., a broadband startup company to expand broadband access in rural eastern North Carolina.

Cooper Hilbert is a junior undergraduate student pursuing double majors in Community and Regional Planning and Economics. He has served as president of the Student Planners’ Action Network (SPAN) since Fall 2023. 

Hilbert also expanded on why he thinks this research is important and why families need reliable access to the Internet.

“No matter who you talk to, the answer is often universal in that people in these communities have terrible service, and it is not always as simple as not streaming your favorite show,” he said. “These are diverse communities, with people working remotely who need network access for their jobs, or families with children who all need the internet to complete their homework assignments and access educational resources. For them, it’s their livelihood, and it’s heartbreaking to hear how so many people have been left behind in a world that’s moving faster than ever in a digital direction.” – ECU News