State grants expand internet access in Craven County

Craven County will receive part of $26 million in Stop‑Gap Solutions awards to extend high‑speed internet in rural areas, including nearly $1.68 million to Brightspeed for 2,439 locations and about $413,259 to HarvestBeam for 95 locations.

Craven County will receive a portion of state grant awards intended to extend high‑speed internet to unserved and underserved locations. The awards are part of North Carolina's Stop‑Gap Solutions program, which uses federal American Rescue Plan Act funds and is managed by the N.C. Department of Information Technology's Division of Broadband and Digital Opportunity. Officials said the program funds targeted broadband line extensions to reach small pockets of homes, businesses and community institutions that lack reliable service. The state announced plans to connect an estimated 5,161 rural customers across 66 counties by the end of 2026. Key details: - Total awards announced total about $26 million for projects across multiple counties. - The program is administered by the N.C. Department of Information Technology's Division of Broadband and Digital Opportunity using ARPA funds. - The awards are intended to fund targeted line extensions to reach unserved and underserved households, businesses, and community anchors. - Craven County will share nearly $1.68 million awarded to Brightspeed, intended to serve 2,439 locations across several counties. - Craven County will also share more than $413,259 awarded to HarvestBeam to serve 95 locations in Craven and Pitt counties. - The announcement listed multiple other grant recipients and county targets across the state. Summary: Officials said the Stop‑Gap Solutions grants are designed to fill remaining coverage gaps and complement broader broadband deployment efforts, with expected benefits for health care access, education, and local services. Work on the projects is planned to proceed through the end of 2026, and specific deployment timelines and local implementation are being managed by the awarded providers and state program administrators.