Graham County will likely see improvements to its internet service soon, with more than $3 million in federal grants coming to Graham County under the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund.
State Sen. Kevin Corbin, R-Franklin, announced the news and said that Graham County would receive $3,362,000, with the the money being awarded to the CCO Holdings company, doing business as Charter Communications to install internet.
For the funds, 2,333 customers will be connected over a maximum of six years.
“To me it’s too long,” Corbin said. “We’re going to try to get these people hooked up as soon as possible.”
Corbin said that rural North Carolina had been lagging behind as far as internet service, and that the grant would bring fast internet to those who needed it most.
“This is the fastest internet service anywhere,” Corbin said.
Overall, the state will get $166 million from the grants, with $45 million of that money going to western North Carolina. The grant will allow for 120,000 hookups statewide, including 33,000 in western North Carolina.
The counties were divided up between companies – based on a reverse-bid system, in which companies are selected based on the number of customers they can connect for the money allowed for the particular county.
Internet improvements have long been at the forefront of Corbin’s career. During his time serving in the N.C. House of Representatives, he and former State Rep. Josh Dobson, R-Nebo, worked together on the FIBER (Foster Infrastructure for Broadband and Resources in North Carolina) Act, which would have allowed cities and counties in the state to invest in their own fiber internet programs.
However, the FIBER Act died in committee.
Out of the FIBER act came the Growing Rural Economies with Access to Technology (GREAT) program, using state dollars to fund the development of broadband service in economically disadvantaged rural areas. The GREAT grants have amounted to $99 million over the past four years.
In addition to Graham County, six other western North Carolina counties will receive connections through the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund, including:
* Cherokee County, with 3,229 customers served through Space Exploration Technologies at $2,864,363
* Swain County, with 3,400 customers served though Charter Communications at $5,297,362
* Macon County, with 8,191 customers served through Charter Communications at $9,009,136
* Clay County, with 1,587 customers served through Space Exploration Technologies at $1,459,610.
“Rural North Carolina has been lagging behind, and this will help move it forward in a hurry,” Corbin concluded.