Western Carolina University has reached an agreement with Morris Broadband to expand high-speed internet service to rural, underserved areas of the Cullowhee Valley area near campus through the use of existing power poles owned by the university’s electricity distribution service.

Some North Carolina K-12 students without home internet access to complete assigned homework will soon receive assistance through a $250,000, two-year grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. The grant was recently awarded to the State Library of North Carolina and the Broadband Infrastructure Office of the N.C. Department of Information Technology.

The Community Broadband Playbook provides communities with tools, templates, examples and ideas to build broadband strategies addressing their needs.

AT&T will partner with FirstNet to build and operate the multimillion-dollar, high-speed wireless network as part of a federal program. The network will be designed to allow first responders to maintain communication during disasters and other large-scale events that could disable or disrupt other communication channels.  

A new report issued by the Charlotte Digital Inclusion Alliance, a group of government, education and community organizations, examines the lack of internet access and the impact in Charlotte.

More than 70 policy-makers, educators, community leaders and stakeholders convened Wednesday to address digital inequity in North Carolina, focusing on the homework gap: the difficulty or inability of students who lack high-speed internet connectivity at home to complete homework assignments, compared to their classmates with access. 

North Carolina residents can use a new interactive mapping tool to determine what internet access and speeds they have at their home or business.

The Appalachian Regional Commission is awarding $272,000 to 10 western North Carolina communities that plan to offer free Wi-Fi in their downtowns.

Gov. Pat McCrory releases the State Broadband Plan to expand affordable high-speed internet access for students and businesses across North Carolina.

McDowell County announces a new partnership with Skyrunner Internet to expand broadband availability to cover approximately 90% of the county.