FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. – The N.C. Department of Information Technology’s (NCDIT) Division of Broadband and Digital Equity announced $31 million in Completing Access to Broadband (CAB) program projects designed to connect 10,810 households and businesses to high-speed internet in 14 counties across the state, including Cumberland County.
Connect Holding II, LLC (Brightspeed) will provide high-speed internet access to 496 homes or businesses in Cumberland County, representing 60.71% of the county’s 817 eligible locations. The total project cost is $2,672,436. The average download and upload speed is proposed at 1,000 Mbps.
These projects will be funded by more than $22.1 million from the federal American Rescue Plan awarded by the NCDIT and nearly $9.6 million from selected broadband providers.
“No matter where you live in the state, you should have access to high-speed internet,” said Governor Josh Stein. “I am proud to help more people and businesses connect to create a stronger and more connected North Carolina for every person.”
Other counties receiving CAB funds are Avery, Beaufort, Buncombe, Dare, Hyde, Jones, Nash, Pamlico, Pasquotank, Swain, Transylvania, Wake and Yancey.
"Expanding broadband infrastructure to underserved areas is a critical component of our vision for Cumberland County’s growth and development,” said Board of Commissioners Chairman Kirk deViere. “This partnership will not only connect hundreds of households and businesses to high-speed internet, but it will also support our broader goals of encouraging smart, sustainable growth and improving access to essential services for all residents.”
The CAB program’s procurement process creates a partnership between counties and NCDIT to identify areas that need access and solicit proposals from prequalified internet service providers. Awardees must agree to provide high-speed service that reliably meets or exceeds speeds of 100 Mbps download and 100 Mbps upload.
The awards add to the $516 million in Growing Rural Economies with Access to Technology (GREAT) grants and previous CAB projects that will connect close to 190,000 North Carolina households and businesses to high-speed internet. Go to ncbroadband.gov for more information.
This is the second round of CAB funding for projects in Cumberland County. In July 2024, NCDIT announced two awards for projects by Connect Holding II, LLC (Brightspeed) and StarVision, Inc., which will have a total project cost of approximately $6.9 million and provide high-speed internet access to 1,692 locations. The county is also partnering with NCDIT and Brightspeed on a $3.2 million GREAT grant project proposed to provide broadband access to 758 households and businesses.
For more information about Cumberland County visit cumberlandcountync.gov or follow the County on social media at @CCNCGov.