Rural North Carolina is continuing to adapt to the digital age where high-speed  internet is essential. There is a powerful alley in this evolution with the Atlantic  Telephone Membership Corporation.  

ATMC is bringing access to the internet with speeds up to 1 Gps to thousands of  homes and businesses in Columbus County since partnering with the United States  Department of Agriculture Rural Development in 2010.  

So far ATMC and USDA RD have brought high speed internet to 2,000 homes in  Columbus County.  

A ReConnect Grant issued in 2019 will add another 4,000 homes and businesses to  that count. 

The Broadband ReConnect Program furnishes loans and grants to provide funds for  the costs of construction, improvement, or acquisition of facilities and equipment  needed to provide broadband service in eligible rural areas.  

Access to the internet is a challenge to some rural parts of the county and the  partnership with USDA RD is helping alleviate this burden.  “These areas are so sparse, it’s extremely expensive to build a fiber optic network to  a rural community,” said ATMC Chief Executive Officer Keith Holden. “The USDA grants 

were the only reason that ATMC was able to connect these areas to reliable, high speed internet.” 

The residents of Columbus County are better equipped to handle the COVID-19  pandemic with the access to the internet that ATMC is providing.  

Many rural residents across the country are forced to travel many miles to find Wi-Fi  hot spots or drive to the local coffee shop or fast-food restaurant. Those who can afford  satellite internet providers often find the service unreliable in rural areas, according to  Holden. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the need for access to high-speed  internet.  

Access to ATMC’s fiber optic network, is allowing students to do virtual learning at  home and businesses can offer remote work options and move retail sales online.  The ATMC and USDA partnership is giving patients the ability to visit with their  primary care physician online rather than having to go into a doctor’s office and risk  exposure.  

“Possibly the and most importantly, allowing families to stay in touch with loved ones  throughout the pandemic,” said Holden. 

As the partnership between ATMC and USDA RD continues to develop the local  community is seeing the benefits of collaboration.  

“We’ve been able to expand our services to more areas of Columbus County, we’ve  also been able to invest in the community through ATMC’s Community Connections  grants program, scholarships for graduating seniors and donations to local charities are directly benefiting Columbus County residents,” said ATMC Public Relations Manager 

Victoria Bellamy. “As we’ve been able to expand our network in Columbus County  through grants from the USDA and others, we were able to open up a retail location in  Whiteville last year allowing us to better serve residents and businesses and continue to  build relationships with Columbus County citizens.” 

USDA RD North Carolina is proud to work with ATMC and is very pleased with the  work done so far and are anxious to continue the advancement of high speed internet  through Columbus County in the coming years. 

“’Together, America Prospers’ are not just words on a wall for us,” said a USDA RD  North Carolina spokesman. “Helping rural North Carolinians have better lives is what we  all strive to do on a daily basis.” 

There are many unknowns in 2021. However, the people of Columbus County can  remain confident in the expansion of internet access through ATMC and their partners  with USDA RD.