North Carolina Awards $4.5 Million to Kinetic, Expansion of High-Speed Fiber Internet Planned

To bridge the digital divide, the North Carolina Department of Information Technology (NCDIT) will award Kinetic $4.4 million to bring high-speed fiber internet to unserved areas in two counties. This grant will enable Kinetic to significantly expand its fiber-optic network in Cabarrus and Union counties by the end of 2026, bringing gigabit internet speeds to 1,392 previously unserved locations. Kinetic will invest $1.9 million of private capital in this fiber-to-the-home project and cover any cost overruns. This is part of Kinetic’s multi-year $2 billion strategy to bridge the digital divide. North Carolina’s Completing Access to Broadband (CAB) program, underscored by contributions from the federal American Rescue Plan, local counties, and selected broadband providers like Kinetic, aims to ensure that more North Carolinians can engage in a digital society through affordable and reliable high-speed internet.