FOCUS Broadband announced Friday that the company received $2.9 million in funding through the 2022 Growing Rural Economies with Access to Technology (GREAT) Grant program to serve rural areas of Bladen County.
The funds will be used to expand high-speed internet service to more than 700 residents and businesses along Chicken Foot Road in Tar Heel and U.S. 701 between Clarkton and Elizabethtown. FOCUS Broadband will provide $307,989 in matching funds and Bladen County Government has also agreed to provide $216,225 in matching funds to complete this project.
“We are appreciative of the support from the Bladen County commissioners for partnering with us to make this project possible,” said Keith Holden, FOCUS Broadband CEO. “We look forward to bringing our affordable, high-speed internet to these rural communities in Bladen County.”
According to an announcement made by Gov. Roy, the N.C. Department of Information Technology’s (NCDIT) Broadband Infrastructure Office received 305 applications, totaling $350 million for this round of GREAT grants. The GREAT Grant program was created in 2019 as a way for internet service providers and cooperatives to seek and compete for funding to aid in lowering financial barriers that prevent high-speed internet service expansion. The recently announced grants are part of Cooper’s plan to invest nearly $2 billion in federal and state funds to close the digital divide in North Carolina.
“We are excited to hear the news of this grant and partner with FOCUS Broadband to bring high-speed internet to these unserved communities in our county,” Greg Martin, Bladen County
manager, said.
FOCUS Broadband is awaiting details as to when the 2022 grant funds will be made available to begin work on expanding high-speed internet to Bladen County. To stay up to date on the progress of the grant project, please visit www.getfocusbroadband.com, or call 888-367-2862.
About FOCUS Broadband
FOCUS Broadband is a member-owned cooperative providing a multitude of communications services, including telephone, business services, wireless, broadband internet, cable television, and home security, in Brunswick County. FOCUS Broadband provides services in additional areas through its wholly owned subsidiary, ATMC, LLC.
About Author
