More Buncombe households and businesses will soon be connected to high-speed internet. The N.C. Department of Information Technology’s (NCDIT) Division of Broadband and Digital Equity recently announced an additional $112 million in Completing Access to Broadband program projects across North Carolina to connect 25,903 households and businesses in 19 counties to high-speed internet.
This program creates a partnership between counties and NCDIT to identify areas that need access, solicit proposals from prequalified internet service providers, and quickly make awards.
In Buncombe County, Bellsouth Telecommunications, LLC (AT&T North Carolina) was selected, and this award will provide high-speed internet access to 967 locations. The total project cost is $10,301,468.00 with a county match of $3,605,513.80, coming from American Rescue Plan Act funding. Awardees must agree to provide high-speed service that reliably meets or exceeds speeds of 100 Mbps download and 100 Mbps upload.
"With this fiber internet project, it will be life-changing for the people and businesses in the Broad River, Fairview, Candler, and Newfound communities who will now finally have access to high-speed internet,” says District 1 Commissioner Terri Wells. “This will broaden their economic, education, and healthcare access opportunities. I have witnessed these positive impacts across our county as we continue to invest in high-speed broadband infrastructure."
The proposal map includes areas in SE Buncombe (Broad River), Upper Hominy, and Fairview. “We are pleased that this proposal covered a lot of our eligible locations (40% of the county’s 2,394 eligible locations), and staff will next set their sights on more state funding,” says Assistant County Manager Tim Love.
Since 2020, Buncombe County has partnered with North Carolina and other providers on three grant projects to bring high-speed internet service to more than 2600 unserved households.