North Carolina Awards Nearly $80 Million to Give More North Carolinians High-Speed Internet Access, Gov. Cooper Announces

Across North Carolina, 25,825 households and 862 businesses in 33 counties will get high-speed internet thanks to nearly $80 million in additional Growing Rural Economies with Access to Technology (GREAT) grants, Governor Roy Cooper (D-NC) announced. These latest grant awards add to the more than $269 million total awarded in 2022 to connect 117,405 households and businesses. As part of the federally-funded GREAT grant eligibility requirements, all internet service provider applicants must participate in the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP). The North Carolina Department of Information Technology has now awarded all of the $350 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding available for the GREAT grant program. For this round of funding, the Division of Broadband and Digital Equity reviewed a total of 104 eligible applications in 58 counties. Grants are being awarded to the highest-scoring internet provider that applied in each county based on the number of households and businesses they propose to serve, the average cost to serve those locations, and the speeds offered, among other criteria required by law.