You’re reading the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society’s Weekly Digest, a recap of the biggest (or most overlooked) broadband stories of the week. The digest is delivered via e-mail each Friday.

Round-Up for the Week of August 11-15, 2025

When you think of Western North Carolina (WNC), you probably think about the beautiful Blue Ridge mountains, tubing down the French Broad River, boating on Lake Lure, or having a drink in one of Asheville’s many famous breweries. More recently, you may be thinking about Hurricane Helene and the unprecedented devastation it brought to the region. What you may not be thinking about is high-speed internet, laptops, or digital skills. 

Although digital opportunity for residents and small businesses have been at the center of the work of many local and regional organizations, such as Asheville-based local government planning and development organization Land of Sky or Brevard-based non-profit Through the Trees for many years, the COVID-19 pandemic––and more recently the aftermath of Hurricane Helene––have brought to the forefront the vulnerable nature of the digital communications infrastructure in WNC. The region faces multiple challenges, including a history of underfunding, the dispersed nature of rural communities, and mountainous terrain.

Most recently, WNC has been grappling with the aftermath of Helene at the same time as it is experiencing sudden terminations of federal funding that communities were counting on to rebuild infrastructure, farms, schools, housing, and economic opportunities. One such funding cut was the termination of the Digital Equity Act (DEA), which was signed into law with bipartisan support under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

The DEA provided funding for the availability of, and affordability of access to, fixed and wireless broadband technology (high-speed internet), device refurbishment and distribution to people in need of a laptop, digital skills training, including computer classes for seniors, and many other digital opportunity projects. Several non-profit organizations in the region that had submitted a shared grant proposal through the Land of Sky Regional Council were awarded much-needed funding under the DEA, but lost the funding when the Trump administration abruptly terminated the program in May.

Despite the loss of funding, WNC is determined to move the needle on digital opportunity for its residents. With financial support from the Dogwood Health Trust and administrative support from the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society––which has supported the founding and running of several other such coalitions across the United States––Land of Sky’s Energy & Economic Development Manager, Sara Nichols, is spearheading the newly founded Blue Ridge Broadband Alliance (BRBA).

The BRBA went “live” with its new website and its first virtual meeting in late June 2025. The goal is to “ensure that Western North Carolina doesn’t get left behind” and to “build the digital infrastructure our communities need to thrive in today’s connected world”. The BRBA brings together stakeholders from the 18 Western-most counties in North Carolina, from Burke County to Cherokee County, in monthly virtual meetings and quarterly in-person meetings throughout the region. The overarching theme of the BRBA is that this important work is done by Western North Carolinians for Western North Carolinians. 

Given WNC’s unique challenges and opportunities, the local and regional nature of this alliance is crucial for its success. "This is a for us by us situation to do it this way, putting Western North Carolina leadership at the front of it to have a Western North Carolina specific conversation,” says BRBA leader Sara Nichols.

This approach is echoed and highlighted by other BRBA members. Yvette Brooks from Through the Trees emphasized the value of learning from other local and regional organizations with similar goals. “I need to know those growing pains from my peers, and being able to see it in action helps a lot...I've learned so much from being in person with other organizations, even just starting with our local ones," she says.

Nichols and several members of the BRBA also highlight the resilience of WNC communities. “We are strong as a region because we're always left out, we're kind of used to having to do work together and do stuff together and maximize our collective impact," says Nichols.

Kennedy Young at Land of Sky echoes this sentiment, emphasizing that local and regional knowledge is needed to succeed in reducing the digital divide in WNC. "[What is] really great is that they have that knowledge, they understand what their county or their served area needs, and I think that having them included in the alliance, and building that up will allow us to have a general overview and be able to get a better insight in what is necessary to close that digital divide,” Young says.

Similarly, Yvette Brooks highlights how all organizations can benefit from sharing their knowledge. “There's a lot of facets to this work," she says. "What I've learned... It's surrounding myself with really knowledgeable people that come in and out of here all the time.” 

While some may consider digital opportunity a generally important issue that deserves attention in and of itself, several BRBA members emphasize that digital infrastructure and skills are increasingly important for all sectors in the region, such as tourism, healthcare, education, and small businesses, among many others.

Craig Varley from Land of Sky Regional Council explains, for example, how the healthcare sector would benefit from better internet connections and internet skills, both on the side of the provider and the patient. “There's huge healthcare advantages to getting that both for the healthcare organizations themselves and for their patients, so they can access [the information] remotely and securely,” Varley says.

TJ Smith from the International Friendship Center highlights the importance of digital connectivity and skills for healthcare and education: 

In this vein, the BRBA is eager to involve members who may not traditionally think of themselves as connected to digital opportunity.

BRBA member and Economic & Development Business Inclusion Manager for the City of Asheville, Marcus Kirkman, underscored the importance of including diverse organizations in the alliance:

Collaboration is the cornerstone of digital opportunity work, and it’s the organizations working with Western North Carolinians on the ground who know best what their communities need. Their input and participation are invaluable for providing digital opportunities to the entire region. 

To support the Blue Ridge Broadband Alliance’s mission of expanding equitable digital access in WNC, community members and partners can take part in several key initiatives. Organizations and individuals in the region who are interested in this work are encouraged to sign up to become members of the BRBA by visiting their brand new website. Members will receive a monthly newsletter and are invited to join the monthly virtual meetings to stay informed, share ideas, collaborate on solutions, and participate in the quarterly show-and-tell sessions, which will rotate locations in WNC to highlight local successes, innovative projects, and emerging needs. Others who are not quite ready to join the alliance but want to stay up to date with what is happening in the region can sign up to receive the monthly Blue Ridge Broadband Bulletin newsletter. 

Organizations and residents can also amplify the collective voice of (Western) North Carolina by adding their name to the BRBA’s sign-on letter, urging NC Attorney General Jeff Jackson to lead or join a lawsuit challenging the administration’s unconstitutional cancellation of the $2.75 billion Digital Equity Act, which included several millions of dollars for specific WNC digital opportunity projects. Together, these steps help ensure that every household, business, and organization in WNC has the digital tools they need to thrive.

Dr. Bianca C. Reisdorf is an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication Studies at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Megan N. Foster is a fifth-year Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Communication at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Quick Bits

• Public Interest Groups Decline To Seek Supreme Court Review of FCC Open Internet Rules
• SHLB & Benton Urge NTIA to Defer to States In Defining Anchors Under BEAD
• States want more fiber for BEAD but eligible locations plummet
• Vermont Community Broadband Board Announces New Program to Help Ensure All Vermonters Can Get Connected to Broadband

Weekend Reads

• Evaluating the Deployment of Advanced Telecommunications
• Many U.S. Tribal Nations Still Lack Access to Adequate Fixed and Mobile Connectivity
• First-level fundamentals: computer ownership is more important for internet benefits than in-home internet service
• Moving toward a continuum model of broadband affordability for low-income households

ICYMI from Benton

• NTIA Limits Community Anchor Institution BEAD Eligibility
• Nebraska Counties Convinced BEAD Changes Will Leave Them Unconnected
• FCC Kicks Off its Annual Broadband Deployment Review
• Freedom is an Endless Meeting: Coalition Building and the Pursuit of Digital Equity

Upcoming Events

Aug 26––Embracing Competition in the Changing Broadband and Video Marketplace (Information Technology & Innovation Foundation)

Sep 16-18––Digital Access Research Forum (Federal Reserve Banks)

Sep 30––September 2025 Open Federal Communications Commission Meeting (Federal Communications Commission)

Oct 16-Oct 17––KINBERCON (KeystoneREN)

The Benton Institute for Broadband & Society is a non-profit organization dedicated to ensuring that all people in the U.S. have access to competitive, High-Performance Broadband regardless of where they live or who they are. We believe communication policy - rooted in the values of access, equity, and diversity - has the power to deliver new opportunities and strengthen communities.

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