en.Wedoany.com Report on Mar 26th, North Carolina recently allocated nearly $26 million from its "Stop-Gap Solutions" program, aiming to connect 5,161 rural households, businesses, and community institutions across 66 counties to high-speed internet by the end of the year. This funding, sourced from the federal American Rescue Plan Act, is managed by the Broadband and Digital Equity Division within the North Carolina Department of Information Technology. Its goal is to accelerate the expansion of broadband infrastructure to eligible unserved and underserved areas throughout the state.

The program complements existing state broadband expansion initiatives by focusing on funding targeted line extensions to reach individuals and small clusters of homes and businesses in remote locations. This week, awards were granted to several broadband service providers. These include: $1,653,500 to Atlantic Telephone Membership Cooperative/FOCUS Broadband for 145 locations in Duplin and Pender counties; $4,017,302 to Citizens Telephone Company/Comporium Communications for 344 locations in Transylvania County; and $1,677,000 to Connect Holding II, LLC/Brightspeed for 2,439 locations across multiple counties.

In a statement, North Carolina Governor Josh Stein said, "These broadband projects will ensure more families can soon access telemedicine, students can complete their homework, businesses can compete in a larger marketplace, and communities can thrive. I am committed to improving broadband access across our state and ensuring no community is left behind." The "Stop-Gap Solutions" program was first announced in January of this year, aiming to enhance digital connectivity in rural areas by accelerating broadband coverage.