NC receives $83 million to expand broadband access


North Carolina Gov. Bev Perdue announced last week that North Carolina has received $83 million in five federal recovery grants to extend broadband connectivity in rural parts of North Carolina.

These funds will create jobs upfront, and help spur economic development in these areas through expanded access to high-speed Internet.

“Critical infrastructure improvements, such as increasing broadband access, are key to boosting local economies and creating jobs,” said Perdue. “Just last week during my visit to Clay County I heard very clearly from a group of local women who came to visit with me how important high speed Internet is to the quality of life in North Carolina, especially in underserved and rural areas.”

The grants are five of 126 federal Recovery Act broadband projects recently announced as part of a second round of funding. In January, as part of first round awards, MCNC received $28.2 million to build a 480-mile fiber-optic network for the North Carolina Research and Education Network (NCREN). In July as part of round two awards, $30 million in grants were awarded to expand broadband access in western North Carolina.

Click here for more information about the North Carolina broadband grants.