North Raleigh Today

Governor Josh Stein has unveiled a broadband expansion plan, allocating over $31 million through the Completing Access to Broadband (CAB) program to extend high-speed internet to 10,810 premises across 14 North Carolina counties.

Governor Stein highlighted the initiative's significance by stating, "No matter where you live in the state, you should have access to high-speed internet. Broadband is critical to providing more economic opportunity to every corner of the state, and I am proud to create a stronger and more connected North Carolina for every person and small business owner.”

Teena Piccione, NCDIT Secretary and State Chief Information Officer, noted, “Thanks to these projects, North Carolinians across the state will be getting high-speed internet access so they can work, access online learning opportunities, participate in telehealth, and build a stronger state economy. We will continue to announce CAB project awards every two weeks throughout April in order to help connect more homes and businesses.”

Funding for the projects will include over $22.1 million from the federal American Rescue Plan, distributed by NCDIT, and close to $9.6 million from chosen broadband providers. Counties such as Avery, Beaufort, Buncombe, and others will benefit from partnerships with providers like SkyBest Communications, Inc., Connect Holding II, LLC (Brightspeed), and others to deliver high-speed internet to underserved areas.

The CAB program employs a collaborative approach between counties and NCDIT to pinpoint areas needing internet access and invites proposals from prequalified service providers. Providers must commit to delivering high-speed services with minimum speeds of 100 Mbps for download and upload.

This broadband expansion is part of Governor Stein's broader goal to mitigate the digital divide. The newly announced CAB projects will be reflected in April on NCDIT's dashboards, detailing the progress made with funds from the federal American Rescue Plan Act. These efforts are in addition to the $516 million previously allocated through the Growing Rural Economies with Access to Technology (GREAT) grants, which target connecting nearly 190,000 households and businesses in North Carolina to high-speed internet.

Further details about the NCDIT Division of Broadband and Digital Opportunity are accessible at ncbroadband.gov.