About 2,500 homes in Burke County may get high-speed internet access through a state program.
The N.C. Department of Information Technology’s Division of Broadband and Digital Equity said its Completing Access to Broadband program plans to expand high-speed internet access to unserved and underserved homes and businesses at approximately 67,724 eligible locations in 37 counties.
Burke is one of those counties, and high-speed internet is expected to be brought to 2,450 locations in Burke, according to a news release from the N.C. Department of Information Technology.
Internet service providers that are prequalified to participate in state broadband expansion programs can submit proposals to provide broadband to all or a portion of eligible locations within each county, according to the news release.
This public-private partnership is aimed to close the digital divide and ensure more North Carolinians can access affordable and reliable high-speed internet.
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The Completing Access to Broadband program creates a partnership among state government, county leaders and internet service providers to identify eligible project areas, develop the scope of work and fund broadband deployment projects with $400 million from the American Rescue Plan. As of Nov. 20, counties are no longer required to provide matching funds for expansion projects, the release said.
Burke County’s project can cost up to $3,350,571, according to the scope of work document. The state covers 70% of the cost while the internet provider covers 30%.
The exact area of internet expansion has not been announced.
The 37 counties with expansion projects are:
- Avery County (507 locations)
- Beaufort County (414 locations)
- Buncombe County (1,807 locations)
- Burke County (2,450 locations)
- Cabarrus County (2,097 locations)
- Caldwell County (1,556 locations)
- Caswell County (883 locations)
- Chatham County (3,829 locations)
- Chowan County (176 locations)
- Cleveland County (2,354 locations)
- Cumberland County (732 locations)
- Edgecombe County (1970 locations)
- Franklin County (2,549 locations)
- Granville County (2,316 locations)
- Halifax County (2,851 locations)
- Harnett County (3,731 locations)
- Haywood County (1,310 locations)
- Henderson County (4,713 locations)
- Jones County (162 locations)
- Lee County (2,191 locations)
- Macon County (3,367 locations)
- Martin County (457 locations)
- McDowell County (2,083 locations)
- Nash County (6,711 locations)
- Northampton County (317 locations)
- Pamlico County (153 locations)
- Pasquotank County (96 locations)
- Perquimans County (116 locations)
- Person County (2,181 locations)
- Pitt County (560 locations)
- Polk County (380 locations)
- Rockingham County (1,504 locations)
- Stanly County (3,568 locations)
- Swain County (1,192 locations)
- Union County (4,112 locations)
- Wake County (1,157 locations)
- Warren County (1,172 locations)
