North Carolina is making $86 million of Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds available for Completing Access to Broadband (CAB) program projects and broadband line-extension projects by internet service providers, according to a newly published notice of funding availability and guidance.
The CAB program’s procurement process enables counties to partner with the North Carolina Department of Information Technology (NCDIT) in identifying unserved and underserved areas and soliciting proposals from broadband providers as well as the funding for broadband infrastructure projects.
Local governments and nonprofits may also participate in the Stop-Gap Solutions program by identifying unserved and underserved locations ideal for broadband projects.
The CAB and Stop-Gap Solutions programs are expected to help with North Carolina broadband infrastructure deployments.
Earlier this year, the U.S. Department of the Treasury announced approval of funding from the American Rescue Plan Act’s Capital Projects Fund (CPF) for broadband projects designed to connect about 16,000 North Carolina homes and businesses to broadband.
The CPF has a total budget of $10 billion to provide to states, territories, freely associated states, and Tribal governments to fund critical capital projects. The goal is to expand economic opportunities and provide internet connectivity in communities lacking high-speed service. In addition to the $10 billion provided by CPF, many governments are putting a portion of their State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF) toward these projects.
“The goal of this program is two-fold — to help NCDIT leverage the remaining $283 million CAB program funds to continue helping counties connect their residents to crucial high-speed internet and to launch broadband line-extension projects to provide access to individuals, small pockets of households or businesses, community anchor institutions and state facilities,” said Nate Denny, NCDIT Deputy Secretary for Broadband and Digital Equity.
“Collaboration between the state, local governments and internet service providers is central to this program and to our work in closing the digital divide.”
Additional information about North Carolina broadband, including links to state funding resources, state specific Telecompetitor coverage and more, can be found on the Broadband Nation webpage for the state.
