North Carolina Awards $23 Million to Expand Broadband Access in 12 Counties

Gov Roy Cooper (D-NC) announced that nearly 7,000 households and 374 businesses in North Carolina are set to receive high-speed internet thanks to more than $23.4 million in grants. The North Carolina Department of Information Technology’s (NCDIT) Broadband Infrastructure Office has awarded Growing Rural Economies with Access to Technology (GREAT) grants to expand broadband infrastructure in 12 counties. The grants are part of Gov Cooper’s plan to invest nearly $2 billion in federal and state funds to close the digital divide in North Carolina. The GREAT program provides matching grants to internet service providers and electric membership cooperatives that partner with individual counties to compete for funding to expand high-speed internet service to unserved areas of the state.