Telecommunications Carriers Extending Broadband To Underserved North Carolina Communities | Eastern North Carolina Now

Press Release:

    Raleigh, N.C.     North Carolina consumers in less populated areas will receive quicker broadband service thanks, in part, to the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) Connect America Fund (CAF) and participation from four broadband service provider partners.

    "This is welcome news to families and companies in North Carolina seeking fast and reliable connections to the global economy, educational resources and healthcare services via broadband Internet," said Governor Pat McCrory. "We look forward to every North Carolinian enjoying the option of high-speed access to the digital world."

    More than $19 million in annual funding during the next six years will help with the buildout of broadband service. AT&T, CenturyLink, Frontier Communications and Windstream Communications will each receive funding to provide service across North Carolina to more than 68,000 businesses and households currently unserved or underserved with broadband. In return, each carrier must meet annual milestones and complete the build-out by the end of 2020.

    "Broadband connects North Carolina businesses to customers, suppliers, employees and partners in a way that boosts the competitive position of the entire state," said N.C. Commerce Secretary John E. Skvarla, III. "It also enhances the ability of governments to serve citizens, educators to teach students, and health providers to treat patients."

    Since 2011, the FCC has been working to transform some of its traditional voice programs, such as the Universal Service Fund, to include broadband. Under this phase of the CAF program, the FCC defines broadband as connections offering download speeds of 10 megabits per second (Mbps) or higher and 1 Mbps or higher upload speeds.

    "It's exciting to see North Carolina's telecommunications carriers moving aggressively to provide higher quality broadband service to citizens in some of the state's less populated areas," said Chris Estes, State's Chief Information Officer. "This is a critical piece of infrastructure for companies, communities and people."

    The CAF was developed to ensure broadband build out in sparsely-populated areas across the country. CAF funds are derived from payments into the federal Universal Service Fund by telecommunications carriers and are based on carriers' revenues.

    Nationally, this phase of CAF will provide more than $1.5 billion in funding to connect nearly 7.3 million Americans currently lacking broadband service.

    To see the areas eligible for funding, please visit the FCC's Connect America Phase II Final Eligible Areas Map.

  • Contact: Crystal Feldman
  •     govpress@nc.gov

Go Back


Leave a Guest Comment

Your Name or Alias
Your Email Address ( your email address will not be published)
Enter Your Comment ( no code or urls allowed, text only please )




Governor McCrory Praises Teachers For High Graduation Rate NC Economy, Statewide, Business, Government, State and Federal Governor McCrory Mourns The Loss Of Camp Lejeune Marine


HbAD0

Latest State and Federal

Former President Donald Trump suggested this week that if he becomes president again, he might allow Prince Harry to be deported.
Vice President Kamala Harris will visit a Minnesota Planned Parenthood clinic, reportedly the first time a president or vice president has visited an abortion facility.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) said this week that the only campaign promise President Joe Biden has delivered on as president is the complete dismantling of the U.S. southern border.
Hamas is reeling after losing two of their most cherished leaders on the same day: military commander Saleh al-Arouri, and Harvard President Claudine Gay.
President Joe Biden’s brother told the Internal Revenue Service that Hunter Biden told him he was in business with a “protege of President Xi,” referring to the leader of China, according to notes by an IRS investigator that were divulged during a congressional interview of Jim Biden.
That’s the question Marguerite Roza of Georgetown University’s Edunomics Lab sought to answer in a recent webinar on the topic.
The University of Florida has fired all of its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) employees and shut down its DEI office.
Glenn Beck: 'When the United States government can come after individuals, that's when you know our republic is crumbling.'
Rep. Mark Green (R-TN) reportedly blasted Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas for “stonewalling” details about the illegal immigrant accused of murdering Laken Riley, a 22-year-old Georgia college student.

HbAD1

“The Biden administration's plan in the Middle East is to hand over power to the Palestinian Authority, which literally pays the families of terrorists who murder Jews.”
Two Democratic members of North Carolina’s congressional delegation are ranked among the most likely to be picked off in 2024, according to a new analysis from Roll Call.
Former President Donald Trump dominated the North Dakota Republican Caucus on Monday as he continues to inch closer to officially securing the party’s presidential nomination.
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is launching a Community Partner Engagement Plan to ensure the voices of North Carolina communities and families continue to be at the center of the department’s work.
The Pentagon official helped lead an organization that pushed 'transgender day of visibility' in the military
Former President Donald Trump filed an appeal to overturn a Democrat judge’s decision to remove him from the presidential ballot in Illinois.
Republican officials continued their probe of BlackRock this week, saying that the financial giant has not been forthcoming about how climate activists are shaping its policies, according to a letter first obtained by The Daily Wire.

HbAD2

 
Back to Top