by with flood, orange county have been able to Previously provided broadband Internet service to 1,500 people Rural households and businesses without services County has invested $10 million since partnership began in 2022 American Rescue Plan Act Funding.
Flooded, 100% fiber optic internet plus Total Home Wi-Fi Provider Headquartered in High Point, won competitive bidding Derek Kelly said the county allowed them to join the partnership, Vice President of Market Development at Lumos.
He said Lumos’ main focus is the northern part of the county, where most people Unserved communities include.The company is now expand its work – This will continue By 2025— to the south.
SHe said so far, 3,000 people have not been served before Homes and businesses have access to broadband internet. Among them, 1,500 people have officially registered.
Outside of areas such as Chapel Hill, Carrboro and Hillsborough, Orange County is primarily rural; That’s why these connection issues exist, Derek Kelly said.
“The idea is that public funding can help make a rural area look like a densely populated area, like a suburb or a small community,” He said.
Derek Kelly Lumos saysAD performs engineering work to determine where to place and build the network first. Over the past nine months, He said they had tried hard Putting fibers on the ground and in the air. Some He said small rural businesses are unable to process credit cards or upload large files due to a lack of internet connectivity, and the partnership will provide their businesses with the fiber access they need.
Michael Kelly, dDirector of Collaborative Broadband and Innovation for North Carolina Country Center, Says there are often barriers to education, telemedicine, employment and economic development Not enough internet access.
“We at the Rural Center believe that broadband is actually a physical asset, similar to water and wastewater,” He said.