North Carolina rural broadband gets $86M boost through Stop Gap program

"The Stop-Gap Solution program, offered through the N.C. Department of Information Technology's (NCDIT) Division of Broadband and Digital Opportunity, is designed to help with faster expansion of broadband internet in rural households, businesses, and community anchor institutions as well as state facilities in each county. Funding will be dedicated for broadband line extension projects to connect individuals or small pockets of households or businesses that have not been reached through a couple of previous programs - the Growing Rural Economies with Access to Technology or Completing Access to Broadband program."

"The Stop-Gap Solutions program facilitates completion times by leveraging existing infrastructure, the NCDIT said. The program is available to pre-qualified broadband providers, who must submit application materials by the end of the day on Jan. 26. Though not required, the applications broadband providers who provide matching funding will be strongly considered, according to NCDIT, which will distribute funds by the end of the year."

"Any leftover funds will be used for rebuilding or replacing broadband infrastructure destroyed by Hurricane Helene or expanding connectivity to unserved and underserved state facilities. NCDIT had earlier offered a $50 million program to help broadband providers recover from the damage that the hurricane caused in 2025. "Reliable, high-speed internet is essential infrastructure for education, healthcare, public safety, and economic opportunity," Teena Piccione, NCDIT secretary and state chief information officer, said in a prepared statement. "The Stop-Gap Solutions program allows us to move quickly and strategically through targeted, one-year investments while other, longer-term broadband projects continue to be built.""

North Carolina will deploy an $86 million Stop-Gap Solutions program through the N.C. Department of Information Technology's Division of Broadband and Digital Opportunity to accelerate rural broadband deployment. Funding targets broadband line extension projects to connect individuals or small pockets of households, businesses, community anchor institutions, and state facilities that previous programs did not reach. The program leverages existing infrastructure to shorten completion times. Pre-qualified broadband providers may apply by Jan. 26; applications that include matching funding will receive strong consideration. NCDIT plans to distribute funds by year-end and will use any remaining funds to rebuild hurricane-damaged infrastructure or expand connectivity to unserved and underserved state facilities.

Read at Telecompetitor