Applications are open for North Carolina’s government broadband grants. Taxpayer advocates hope the money is spent in the right places.
All tagged broadband
Application window open for $350M to expand internet access in rural N.C.
Qualified internet service providers and electric membership cooperatives providing internet service can now apply for up to $350 million in grants to expand broadband infrastructure in North Carolina and get more people connected to high-speed internet.
There is no free ride
The latest news about North Carolina transportation was no surprise. In a pattern all too familiar, our leaders have planned for and promised more highway projects than can be financed with current revenue sources.
More than 180,000 N.C. Households Getting Help for Monthly Internet Bills
More than 180,000 North Carolina households are getting critical assistance affording high-speed internet service thanks to a federal relief program that helps families in need pay internet bills and fully participate in the digital economy.
N.C. lawmakers still have plenty of work to do on broadband
The General Assembly may allocate hundreds of millions in federal relief toward closing the digital divide this session, but policy experts says lawmakers still need to reduce regulations to further help the expansion of broadband infrastructure.
Bipartisan Senate group to push for broadband expansion in new bill
A bipartisan group of senators is crafting legislation that would find ways to expand broadband access in North Carolina.
Rural N.C. gets access to internet through USDA RD/ATMC
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.
Early North Carolina broadband survey data shows mediocre access
North Carolinians can now view results from an ongoing survey designed to show gaps in coverage in the state, which so far indicates a lack of access to broadband.
Broadband funding will capture lawmakers’ attention this session
When the General Assembly reconvenes next week, broadband promises to be a hot topic. One of lawmakers’ first order of business, according to Senate leader Phil Berger, R-Rockingham, will be to pass legislation handling money in the rural broadband grant program.
Governor Cooper announces $30 million to expand internet access in rural areas
Nearly $30 million will go to fund 18 broadband infrastructure projects with a goal of connecting 15,965 households and 703 businesses in rural North Carolina to high-speed internet, Governor Cooper announced Thursday. The grants are part of the 2020 Special Supplementary Round of the Growing Rural Economies with Access to Technology (GREAT) Grant program and will be distributed through the N.C. Department of Information Technology (NCDIT) Broadband Infrastructure Office (BIO).
Legislative leaders, Governor announce deal on rural broadband funding
Legislative leaders and Gov. Roy Cooper reached a deal to ensure $30 million is allocated as promised to the GREAT rural broadband program.
Sen Jim Perry: Gov. Cooper rips broadband money away from rural NC
On Sept. 3, a bipartisan supermajority in the North Carolina General Assembly appropriated $30 million for rural broadband to help rural areas impacted by the pandemic. The next day, Gov. Roy Cooper issued a press release, taking credit for our work, with the following statement: “This budget followed my recommendations on school enrollment funding and invested in important areas like high-speed internet access…” Seventy-five days after the legislation passed, and 74 days after Gov. Cooper touted the investment, his administration quietly ripped this money and broadband from the hands of rural North Carolinians.