Alexander County officials have announced that approximately 150 local homes will have access to broadband internet following an announcement by the North Carolina Department of Information Technology. Spectrum partnered with the county to apply for funding from the Completing Access to Broadband (CAB) program, which totaled $919,437.35. The county match for the grant is only $1, which will come from American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding. Spectrum is investing $162,254 making the total project investment more than $1 million.

CAB grants were awarded in 14 counties across the state, totaling $22 million that will connect 6,012 households and 164 businesses to high-speed internet. These grants add to the nearly $348 million in GREAT (Growing Rural Economies with Access to Technology) grants awarded in 2022 and 2023. The GREAT grant and CAB program provide matching grants to internet service providers that partner with individual North Carolina counties to compete for funding to expand high-speed internet service to unserved and underserved areas.

All CAB program grantees must participate in the state’s Affordable Connectivity Program, which provides eligible low-income households a $30 per month discount on high-speed internet service.

In Alexander County, Spectrum will expand broadband infrastructure on the following roads. 26 homes on Mountain Ridge Church Road, 20 on Vashti Road, 17 on Russell Gap Road, 11 on Gus Pennell Lane, ten on Blankenship Road, eight on Ridgeway Drive, seven on All Healing Springs Road, six homes apiece on Cherokee Lane, Lawson Childers Road, and Poplar Valley Lane, five apiece on Bentley Farm Lane and Lona Daniels Loop, three homes apiece on Daniels Ridge Road, Hickory Drive, Hidden Valley Road, and Vashti Fire Department Road, two apiece on Bethel Church Road, Bobby Godfrey Lane, Mays Hideaway Lane, Mt. Olive Church Road, and Stonie Burke Drive, and one apiece on Oakwood Baptist Church Lane, Queen Ridge Road, and Ridgeway MHP Lane.

The project deadline is December 31, 2026.

[Information for this story and photo courtesy of Alexander County Public Information Officer Gary Herman and WACB’s Rick Gilbert]