The N.C Department of Information Technology’s (NCDIT) Broadband Infrastructure Office, part of the department’s Division of Broadband and Digital Equity, today announced $10 million in awards to deploy high-speed internet infrastructure to 2,254 homes and 70 businesses in six counties through the Growing Rural Economies with Access to Technology (GREAT) grant program:
- Caswell County: Connect Holding II, LLC (Brightspeed)
- Edgecombe County: NfinityLink Communications Inc. (InfinityLink Communications)
- Harnett County: Spectrum Southeast, LLC (Charter Communications)
- Northampton County: Spectrum Southeast, LLC (Charter Communications)
- Person County: Spectrum Southeast, LLC (Charter Communications)
- Warren County: Connect Holding II, LLC (Brightspeed)
The awards in Caswell, Northampton, Person and Warren counties replace previously announced awards.
“We are continuing to partner with counties and internet service providers on broadband expansion so more North Carolinians can access crucial online resources,” said NCDIT Deputy Secretary for Broadband and Digital Equity Nate Denny. “The awarded projects will provide high-speed internet access to residents in these counties by Oct. 31, 2026.”
The GREAT grant program provides matching grants to internet service providers that may partner with individual North Carolina counties to compete for funding to expand high-speed internet service to unserved areas of the state. Awardees must agree to provide high-speed service, defined as a minimum of 100 Megabits per second (Mbps) download and 20 Mbps upload, scalable to 100 Mbps download and 100 Mbps upload on or before Dec. 31, 2026. All awards are contingent on final executed grant agreements with the internet provider partners.
NCDIT has launched three new dashboards at ncbroadband.gov/dashboards that display details and progress on programs funded by the federal American Rescue Plan Act as part of Governor Roy Cooper’s plan to close the digital divide. The dashboards, which are updated monthly, will include the above GREAT grant awards for each county in July, along with the associated project completion date.
For more information about the NCDIT Division of Broadband and Digital Equity, please visit ncbroadband.gov.