At least 16,000 North Carolina homes and businesses will be connected to high speed internet with funding from the American Rescue Plan’s Capital Projects Fund.
President Joe Biden announced the $82 million new spending in Raleigh, alongside Governor Roy Cooper this week.
Overall, the Biden-Harris Administration is awarding more than $3 billion in North Carolina through the American Rescue Plan and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and $1 billion in American Rescue Plan Act funding to connect more than 300,000 homes and businesses by 2026.
In addition, Gov. Roy Cooper has joined the Biden-Harris Administration in urging Congress to continue funding the Affordable Connectivity Program that helps millions of U.S. households, including nearly 900,000 in North Carolina, afford reliable high-speed internet. Without Congressional action, 22.6 million U.S. households will see a significant spike in their internet bill and potentially lose service entirely when current funding is projected to end in mid-2024.
“We are grateful for the Biden-Harris Administration’s unwavering commitment to closing the digital divide here in North Carolina and across the nation,” Cooper said in a statement. “Accessing the internet is a necessity in today’s world, and President Biden has continued to be an invaluable partner in our efforts to not only connect North Carolinians to reliable, high-speed internet, but also ensure that they can afford it.”
