The following press release was published by the USDA on July 27, 2020. CARES Act ReConnect Funding to Connect 1,740 Rural Households to High-Speed Broadband WASHINGTON, July 27, 2020 – The Trump Administration today announced that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is investing more than $3 million to provide broadband service in unserved and underserved rural areas in North …
New Bi-partisan Grant Program Seeks to Make NC ‘first in digital inclusion’ by 2022
The following article was published in WRAL TechWire on February 10, 2020 RALEIGH — By 2020, every county in North Carolina will have a digital inclusion plan. That’s the goal of a new grant program, Building a New Digital Economy in NC (BAND-NC), rolled out by NC State University’s Institute for Emerging Issues (IEI) today. BAND-NC, which launched with initial support from Roanoke …
USDA Invests $7.9 Million in Rural Broadband for North Carolina Families
The following press release was issued by USDA on December 11, 2019 BOLTON, N.C., Dec. 11, 2019 – Today, North Carolina Rural Development State Director Robert Hosford announced USDA has invested $7.9 million in high-speed broadband infrastructure to create or improve e-Connectivity for more than 4,000 rural households in North Carolina. This is one of many funding announcements in the first …
Spurring high-tech entrepreneurship in rural North Carolina
Published by Wral Tech Wire on June 6, 2019 By Catherine Truitt RALEIGH — Last fall in a panel discussion at the Gig East event in Wilson, moderator Tom Ruhe of the NC IDEA Foundation asked: “Where are the Red Hats of tomorrow going to come from?” The panelists concurred that there’s no reason why the next Red Hat – …
North Carolina Broadband Bill to Help Rural Areas
Published by News 13 WLOS on May 31, 2019 By Rex Hodge SWAIN COUNTY, N.C.–Getting broadband to rural areas like our mountains takes a big step forward in Raleigh. The House signed off on a Senate bill that facilitates high speed internet access through electric cooperatives’ infrastructure.That would mean quicker internet speeds for places like Darnell Farms in Swain county. …
UPDATE: List of States Funding Rural Broadband Gets Even Longer
by Jessica Denson Director of Communications, Connected Nation Bowing Green, KY (May 14, 2019) – Earlier this month, Connected Nation took a closer look at the action states are taking to expand rural broadband access. Many state lawmakers are choosing to move forward now rather than wait for federal funding. Less than two weeks later, we can add nearly another …
Why Broadband Access Is More Than An Urban vs Rural Issue
Published by The Hill on May 13, 2019 By G.K. Butterfield The Internet provides practically infinite economic and educational opportunities for users throughout the world. In our increasingly digital society, one’s ability to utilize the Internet bears greatly on their potential for individual success and upward mobility. Though high-speed Internet has propelled the 21stcentury economy forward, it hasn’t taken every …
North Carolina awards $9.8M in grants to boost rural Internet speeds
Published by WRAL TechWire on May 8, 2019 RALEIGH – North Carolina is looking to boost Internet speeds in 19 rural counties with nearly $10 million in matching grants. The grants are to assist 14 companies improve broadband for some 10,000 households plus almost 600 businesses and community institutions. Fourteen companies will receive the grants, 11 of them being based …
Lawmakers look for ways to reduce barriers to rural broadband
Published by North Carolina Health News on May 1st, 2019 By Taylor Knopf Decades ago, companies and local governments worked to bring electric, water and sewer to the rural communities of North Carolina. Now those organizations want to work together to provide the same access to broadband, something that’s increasingly being seen as the next “standard utility.” But getting high-speed …
Leaders demand more rural broadband access; Governor says time to ‘force this to happen’
Published by WRAL TechWire on March 27, 2019 By Mindy Hamlin RALEIGH – Broadband was the word of the day at the North Carolina Rural Center’s Rural Day. More than 600 state and local leaders and community advocates gathered in downtown Raleigh yesterday to discuss broadband, as well as health and small business development as priorities for growth and success …