Abstract:

Rural digital hubs can be an important tool at the local level for overcoming the double digital divide suffered by many rural areas. These hubs can do this by offering fast, reliable internet access, physical spaces for working and networking, and a range of business and community support services. However, their practical implementation raises specific challenges, including estimating and identifying relevant financial and human resources for setting up the hub, engaging the local community and attracting businesses (so that digital hubs do not remain empty buildings with good broadband connection), and providing the right services that respond to local needs. This case study draws practical lessons from rural digital hub examples from all over Europe: the Ludgate Hub in Ireland, #hellodigital in Scotland and Cocotte Numerique in France to answer practical questions such as: “What are rural digital hubs?”; “How can they improve digitization in rural areas?”; and “What are the practical steps for setting up and running a digital hub?”