03/28/2024
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Bladen County NC – Star Communications announced today that it has completed its NC GREAT Grant project in Bladen County. With the completion of this project , households and businesses in the area of
Pusey’s Store, Mote Road and Oak Grove Church communities in Bladen County now have access to high speed internet with speeds of up to 1 Gigabit as well as digital cable TV, home telephone and security
services.

These three projects in Bladen County were made possible through an $850,000 grant from the NC GREAT Grant program awarded to Star in May of 2019. The NC GREAT Grant program was established in
2018 by Governor Roy Cooper and the NC General Assembly and facilitated through the North Carolina Department of Information Technology (NCDIT). Star Communications was required to make a
matching dollar for dollar investment of $850,000 for the grant areas. This project will make possible fiber optic connectivity to more than 400 homes, farms and businesses in Bladen County.

“Star Communications is very pleased to announce the completion of this project in these communities in Bladen County making fiber optic broadband services available to residents,” said Jeff Nethercutt, Star
Communications Executive Vice President and General Manager. “We are very grateful to NCDIT, the North Carolina General Assembly and Governor Roy Cooper’s office for making these funds available.
Broadband availability in these areas will serve as a tremendous tool for economic development, distance learning and access to the global economies of the 21 st century.”

Star Communications was also awarded a $23.4 million dollar USDA ReConnect Grant in 2019 to serve more than 8,600 homes, farms, businesses and critical care facilities in portions of Sampson and Bladen
County. Star Communications will provide matching funds in the amount of $7.4 million dollars for a total investment in excess of $30 million dollars in the expansion of broadband in these rural
communities.

About Star Communications
Star Telephone Membership Corporation is a member owned cooperative based in Clinton, NC. Established in 1959, Star’s service area includes portions of Sampson, Bladen, Cumberland, Columbus and Duplin County. Star provides services in additional areas through its wholly owned subsidiary StarVision, Inc. For more information on Star Communications’ products and services, contact our business office at 800-706-6538 or 910-564-4194 or visit us on the web at www.starcom.net.

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