State grant will provide high-speed internet to more homes and businesses in Dare and Hyde counties

April 9, 2025 | Local News | By: Joy Crist

Silver Lake on Ocracoke Island. Photo by Joy Crist.

On Tuesday, April 8, Governor Josh Stein announced that more than $31 million will be distributed to Completing Access to Broadband (CAB) program projects, connecting 10,810 households and businesses to high-speed internet, which includes projects in Dare County and Ocracoke.

These projects will be funded by roughly $22.1 million from the federal American Rescue Plan – which is awarded by the N.C. Department of Information Technology (NCDIT) – and by nearly $9.6 million from selected broadband providers.

In Dare County, an award to Brightspeed will provide high-speed internet access to 20 homes or businesses, which represents 19.61% of the county’s 102 eligible locations.

In Hyde County, an additional award to Brightspeed will provide high-speed internet access to 1,282 homes or businesses, which represents 95.25% of the county’s 1,346 eligible locations.

According to the Ocracoke Observer, the Brightspeed work on Ocracoke Island should start in September 2025. The process will entail laying fiber-optic cable underground starting at the north end of the island, and then mounting it on power poles, resulting in a wider and stronger service area.

The CAB program’s procurement process creates a partnership between counties and NCDIT to identify areas that need access and solicits proposals from prequalified internet service providers. Awardees must agree to provide high-speed service that reliably meets or exceeds speeds of 100 Mbps download and 100 Mbps upload.

The complete list of the 14 counties that will receive grants is below. For more information about the NCDIT Division of Broadband and Digital Opportunity, visit ncbroadband.gov.

Avery: SkyBest Communications, Inc. This award will provide high-speed internet access to 805 homes or businesses (99.38% of the county’s 810 eligible locations).
Beaufort: Connect Holding II, LLC (Brightspeed). This award will provide high-speed internet access to 414 homes or businesses (92.83% of the county’s 446 eligible locations).
Buncombe: Frontier Communications of the Carolinas, LLC. This award will provide high-speed internet access to 132 homes or businesses (6.35% of the county’s 2,079 eligible locations).
Cumberland: Connect Holding II, LLC (Brightspeed). This award will provide high-speed internet access to 496 homes or businesses (60.71% of the county’s 817 eligible locations).
Dare: Connect Holding II, LLC (Brightspeed). This award will provide high-speed internet access to 20 homes or businesses (19.61% of the county’s 102 eligible locations).
Hyde: Connect Holding II, LLC (Brightspeed). This award will provide high-speed internet access to 1,282 homes or businesses (95.25% of the county’s 1,346 eligible locations).
Jones: Connect Holding II, LLC (Brightspeed). This award will provide high-speed internet access to 79 homes or businesses (49.38% of the county’s 160 eligible locations).
Nash: Connect Holding II, LLC (Brightspeed). This award will provide high-speed internet access to 5,693 unserved and underserved homes or businesses (86.04% of the county’s 6,646 eligible locations).
Pamlico: Connect Holding II, LLC (Brightspeed). This award will provide high-speed internet access to 100 homes or businesses (61.35% of the county’s 163 eligible locations).
Pasquotank: Connect Holding II, LLC (Brightspeed). This award will provide high-speed internet access to 87 homes or businesses (84.47% of the county’s 103 eligible locations).
Swain: Zito West Holding, LLC (Zito Media). This award will provide high-speed internet access to 509 homes or businesses (42.74% of the county’s 1,191 eligible locations).
Transylvania: Citizens Telephone Company (Comporium Communications). This award will provide high-speed internet access to 473 homes or businesses (31.94% of the county’s 1,481 eligible locations).
Wake: Connect Holding II, LLC (Brightspeed). This award will provide high-speed internet access to 144 homes or businesses (11.51% of the county’s 1,251 eligible locations).
Yancey: French Broad Electric Membership Corporation. This award will provide high-speed internet access to 576 homes or businesses (80.67% of the county’s 714 eligible locations)