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 announced on Thursday, July 6.

“We want all North Carolinians connected to high-speed internet so they can take full advantage of digital opportunities for work, learning, health and more,” Governor Cooper said in a press release. “These grants will fund projects in communities from all corners of our state so more families and businesses will have access to affordable, reliable broadband.”

The following counties within the Greater Fayetteville Business Journal’s coverage area were awarded GREAT grants to deploy broadband infrastructure:

• Bladen County: Star Telephone Membership Corp (Star Communications)
• Moore County: Spectrum Southeast, LLC (Charter Communications)

“This grant program is already set to bring high-speed internet to numerous households and businesses across North Carolina, and we’re pleased that we will now reach even more unserved areas,” said NCDIT Secretary and State Chief Information Officer Jim Weaver in a press release. “These grants are just one of the many ways we are working to expand internet access and ensure digital equity.”

As part of the federally-funded GREAT grant eligibility requirements, all internet service provider applicants must participate in the Affordable Connectivity Program to offer eligible low-income households a $30 per month discount on high-speed internet service, or provide access to a comparable low-cost program.

NCDIT has now awarded all of the $350 million in American Rescue Plan Act 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.

Applicants must agree to provide high-speed service, defined as a minimum of 100 Megabits per second (Mbps) download and 20 Mbps upload, scalable to 100 Mbps download and 100 Mbps upload on or before Dec. 31, 2026. All awards are contingent on final executed grant agreements with broadband provider partners. The division plans to make additional awards to remaining counties using additional federal funds later this month.

More information about the NCDIT Division of Broadband and Digital Equity and Governor Cooper’s plan to close the digital divide can be found at www.ncbroadband.gov.