MCA FAMILY OF COMPANIES

Search
Search
Close this search box.
Search
Close this search box.

North Carolina Prioritizes Broadband Infrastructure to Close The Digital Divide

State and Federal Funds Have Been Earmarked To Create and Improve Broadband Infrastructure

In North Carolina, nearly 1.1 million households – 30% of the households in the state – do not have access to a high-speed internet connection, and about half of those that do have access to it cannot afford it. Of those households, 4% are in urban areas, while a staggering 35% are in rural areas, which isn’t necessarily surprising as North Carolina has one of the largest rural populations in the country, second only to Texas. Unfortunately, even in areas where residents do have access to high-speed broadband internet access, there are nearly 500,000 households without access to a desktop or laptop computer, 180,000 without access to a smartphone, and nearly 1.2million adults who do not have the digital literacy skills needed to thrive in today’s digital economy.

A Strategic Plan to Bridge The Digital Divide

To help close the digital divide, the North Carolina state legislature has devised a plan to deploy – or improve – broadband access across the state, with a particular focus on last-mile broadband and a goal of becoming one of the top states in the nation for broadband adoption by 2025. 

A large part of the foundation of this plan includes investing nearly $1 billion – with federal and state support – by 2026 to rapidly build the necessary infrastructure in unserved communities, create and make available digital literacy resources and training, and ensure that all North Carolina households with school-aged children have high-speed internet subscriptions. The state also intends to increase adoption rates to at least 80% across all racial demographics. 

To fund these projects, the state will be utilizing a variety of state and federal funds.

GREAT Grant Program

The Growing Rural Economies with Access to Technology (GREAT) Grant was initially launched in 2019, before the Covid-19 Pandemic hit the United States, and is dedicated to providing funds to private sector broadband providers to reply to last-mile broadband infrastructure to the unserved, rural parts of the state. To continue funding the program, the state has appropriated $350 million from the American Rescue Plan Act. The GREAT Grant is a competitive program. Applicants must propose projects meeting several criteria, such as providing minimum speeds of 100 Mbps download and 20 Mbps upload, while encouraging partnerships between private organizations, counties, non-profits, and other internet service providers. 

Each grant is capped at $4 million, the maximum matching requirement is 50%, and no county can exceed $8 million in GREAT Grant funding in a fiscal year.

Completing Access to Broadband (CAB) Program

In December 2022, the U.S. Treasury approved the state’s plan to use $177.7 million of its Capital Funds Project allocation for the Completing Access to Broadband (CAB) Program. This will allow individual counties to partner with the state’s Department of Information Technology to receive funding to deploy broadband projects in the unserved areas of their jurisdictions. This funding is part of the $400 million appropriated from the American Rescue Plan Act.

The CAB Program is considered a complementary program to the GREAT Grant, as projects that apply for – but are not granted – funding through the GREAT Grant may be considered for CAB funding instead.

Pole Replacement Program

To facilitate the various broadband infrastructure projects, the state has enacted the Pole Replacement Program so that utility poles that need to be replaced can accommodate the additional infrastructure attachments. $100 million of federal American Rescue Plan Act funding was appropriated for this project, which will begin later in 2023.

Infinity Technology Solutions for Broadband Infrastructure Projects

In partnership with Nokia, Infinity Technology Solutions is the partner state governments and private internet service providers need to maximize the funding allocated to their communications infrastructure projects. We have extensive experience assisting public and private entities build fiber networks to make broadband internet access a reality for all U.S. citizens. 

Contact us to learn how we can help you launch your broadband infrastructure project successfully.

Contact Us

Share This Article

You Might Also Like

Nokia’s Altiplano Open Access Solution

Universal Network Entry, Varied Control Levels Open access networks present a compelling opportunity for operators seeking to enhance the profitability of their fiber infrastructure. Leveraging

UTC Region 6 Meeting 2024

Previewing Cutting-Edge Innovations in Utility Technology: An Overview of the Upcoming Utilities Technology Council’s Region 6 Meeting Infinity Technology Solution’s dynamic team, comprising Ray Schneible

The Nokia 7750 Service Router (SR)

Unparalleled Performance, Scalability, and Adaptability The Nokia 7750 Service Router (SR) portfolio offers unparalleled performance, scalability, and adaptability for various IP edge and core applications.