Posted January 25, 2024
The Granville County Board of Commissioners recently approved a partnership with the NC Department of Information Technology (NCDIT) and Spectrum under the Completing Access to Broadband (CAB) program that will fund the construction of fiber-optic broadband infrastructure capable of servicing at least 1,530 addresses in Granville County. Granville’s contribution to this project will be $10,000, while the State of North Carolina will contribute $4 million, and Spectrum will invest $7.9 million.
The locations serviced with broadband internet as part of the CAB program will be in addition to the previously announced partnership with Brightspeed under the Growing Rural Communities with Access to Technology (GREAT) program that will service at least 1,914 addresses and the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) project currently underway by Spectrum that will service an additional 1,120 addresses. Once all three projects are completed, more than 4,564 homes and businesses will have gained access to broadband internet in rural Granville County because of funding from federal, state, and county governments combined with partnership agreements with Internet Service Providers (ISPs). Additional information about these projects and a full map of the awarded addresses can be found at the Granville County website or the NC One Map.
Granville County has proactively sought methods to bridge the high-speed internet access gap in Granville County, which began in earnest with a formal Request for Qualifications in 2019. Various state laws and regulations prohibit county and city governments from providing internet services or installing infrastructure themselves, but they may partner with ISPs to expand access and improve service. The NC CAB Grant Program utilizes funding that the State of North Carolina received from the federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) that allows ISPs to competitively bid and partner with counties to provide internet access to rural North Carolina locations that are “unserved” according to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) parameters defining “high-speed” internet.
“This partnership showcases the ongoing effort made by Granville County to ensure that our citizens have access to high-speed broadband internet,” said Granville County Board of Commissioners Chair Timothy Karan. “We are pleased to partner with Spectrum on this project that with minimal use of county tax dollars will service over 1,500 homes and businesses across the county. We will continue to work with internet service providers to ensure this vital resource is available for all who choose to live or work in our community. There are many parts of the county yet to be served and we will exhaust every possibility to make it happen.”
The areas served by the CAB project with Spectrum are spread throughout the county, notable areas serviced will include northern and western Granville County in the Berea, Cornwall, and Oak Hill communities along NC Highway 49, NC Highway 96, US Highway 158, Old NC 75, Grassy Creek-Virgilina Road, Oak Hill Road, Cornwall Road, Mountain Creek Road, Goshen Road, Old Roxboro Road, Sunset Road, Pine Town Road, Hobgood Road, Moriah Road, Range Road, Culbreth Road, and Enon Road among many others. The project will also service areas east of Oxford including Tom Parham Road and Salem Road and in southern Granville County including US Highway 15, NC Highway 50, Bryans Hill Road, Tar River Road, Smith Road, Lyon Station Road, Cash Road, Will Suitt Road, Brassfield Road, and Lawrence Road among others. For more information or to view a full map of addresses served, visit the Granville County website or the NC One Map.