ROCKINGHAM — Twenty-six rural North Carolina counties, including Richmond, will benefit from a $58 million investment in broadband internet.
According to the office of Gov. Josh Stein, more than $41 million in funding comes through the American Rescue Plan awarded by the N.C. Department of Information Technology and individual counties, and more than $17 million by broadband providers.
“Good partnerships between our counties, the state, and internet providers will connect North Carolinians,” the governor said in a press release. “I look forward to continuing to bring high-speed internet to every corner of the state so that people can communicate with family and friends, grow their business, or access telehealth services or educational opportunities.”
Richmond County’s share will provide high-speed internet access from Spectrum to 110 homes and businesses, accounting for 14.08% of the county’s 781 eligible locations, according to the governor’s office.
Other regional counties in the expansion include Moore, Scotland and Robeson.
“Bringing high-speed internet to rural North Carolina is a game changer,” NCDIT Secretary and State Chief Information Officer Teena Piccione said in a press release. “Thanks to the vision of Governor Stein and our General Assembly, we’re making historic investments to close the digital divide, and more programs are on the way to connect additional communities across the state.”
County Manager Bryan Land mentioned the investment during the July 1 meeting of the Richmond County Board of Commissioners.
“We’ve been very fortunate over the last few years in our county, receiving multiple grants…serving our underserved and in rural areas throughout our county,” Land said.
RiverStreet Networks announced in 2023 that it was expanding its fiber optic network to benefit more than 4,000 homes in the Ellerbe service area.
The previous year, commissioners approved committing $100,000 toward an $8.9 million infrastructure project by Charter Communications-Spectrum to expand internet access across the county, specifically in the Mangum and Cordova areas.
The governor’s announcement came on June 11 — a week after he was in Hamlet to help announce the planned $10 billion investment by Amazon Web Services to build a 20-building data center complex in the Energy Way Industrial Park.
Amazon is expected to invest “tens of millions of dollars” to build fiber connectivity throughout the region which will benefit the entire community, according to Roger Wehner, vice president of economic development for Amazon Web Services.
