North Carolina Office of the Governor

Qualified internet service providers and electric membership cooperatives providing internet service can now apply for up to $350 million in grants to expand broadband infrastructure in North Carolina and get more people connected to high-speed internet. Funds from the federal American Rescue Plan are being used to provide the largest-ever round of Growing Rural Economies with Access to Technology (GREAT) Grants available in North Carolina.

More than 180,000 North Carolina households are getting critical assistance in affording high-speed internet service thanks to the Emergency Broadband Benefit (EBB) Program. With 182,473 households enrolled in the Federal Communications Commission’s initiative, North Carolina’s level of enrollment ranks sixth among the 50 states. Gov Roy Cooper (D-NC) urges Congress and the North Carolina delegation to pass the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to make the monthly discount permanent for eligible households.

Gov Roy Cooper (D-NC) proclaimed August 16–20 as Rural Broadband Week to call attention to the urgent need to improve broadband access and adoption across the state.

Governor Roy Cooper (D-NC) shared his recommendations for how North Carolina can most effectively invest in its recovery through the American Rescue Plan (ARP). The $5.7 billion in federal funds offer a once-in-a-generation opportunity to invest in North Carolina and ensure a shared recovery from the global pandemic. The Governor’s recommendations include assisting families most impacted by the pandemic, upgrading our infrastructure, helping more people get a degree or trade after high school, preparing the state’s workforce and promoting business development and innovation.

Some students in Hyde and Swain counties will soon be able to access high-speed internet via satellite technology, thanks to a pilot program aimed at improving internet access to support remote learning.

Nearly $30 million will go to fund 18 broadband infrastructure projects with a goal of connecting 15,965 households and 703 businesses in rural North Carolina to high-speed internet, Governor Cooper announced.

Gov Roy Cooper (R-NC) announced nearly $40 million in funding for NC Student Connect, a new partnership created to address internet connectivity gaps that are a barrier to remote learning for many North Carolina students. When school resumed in August, superintendents estimated that at least 100,000 students still lacked a reliable internet connection at home. NC Student Connect investment includes:

Better internet access is coming to 19 rural, economically disadvantaged counties in North Carolina thanks to nearly $10 million in grants. The Growing Rural Economies with Access to Technology (GREAT) program provides matching grants to internet service providers and electric membership cooperatives that compete for funding to lower financial barriers that prevent high-speed internet service expansion in Tier 1 counties. Twenty-one applicants in 19 counties will receive a total of $9,855,026 in GREAT Grant funding to bring high-speed internet access to 9,800 households and more than 590 bu