This news item expired on Friday, March 1, 2024 so the information below could be outdated or incorrect.
Fast internet is coming to underserved communities of Buncombe County. Frontier Communications and Buncombe County Government have partnered to expand broadband fiber to nearly 1,000 unserved and underserved households from Woodfin to the Buncombe/Madison County line and east into the Reems Creek and Ox Creek valleys. This project is expected to begin in the coming months and will provide what is considered to be the most reliable internet with speeds starting at 100 megabits per second.
To learn more about the impacted areas, timeline, costs, and installation process, Frontier Communications is hosting an information session on October 2, 2023 from 5:30-6:30 p.m. at the Weaverville Community Center, located at 60 Lakeshore Drive, Weaverville, NC 28787. The event will also be livestreamed on Engage.BuncombeCounty.org, the County’s public input platform.
The project has been awarded $3.3 million by the state through the Growing Rural Economies with Access to Technology (GREAT) grant. Frontier and Buncombe County have each pledged $300,000 to the project. As part of the GREAT grant eligibility requirements, all internet service provider applicants must participate in the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), which provides eligible low-income households a $30 per month discount on high-speed internet service or provide access to a comparable low-cost program. Buncombe County is utilizing American Rescue Plan Act funds to fund its portion of the project.
If you are interested in learning more about this exciting project, please join us on October 2 from 5:30-6:30 p.m. at the Weaverville Community Center to hear directly from Frontier representatives.