CarolinaLink Highlights Member Accomplishments During Rural Broadband Week
Raleigh, NC – CarolinaLink, North Carolina’s Broadband Cooperative Coalition, is highlighting the accomplishments of their members during Rural Broadband Week, which Governor Cooper announced would be held August 17th through the 21st. CarolinaLink is made up of North Carolina’s seven broadband membership cooperatives who provide advanced technology services to many of the state’s most rural areas.
The seven cooperative members include ATMC, Randolph Communications, Riverstreet Networks, Skyline/Skybest, Star Communications, Surry Communications and Yadtel. Coalition members serve over 150,000 rural homes and businesses in North Carolina and are committed to expanding rural broadband to unserved and underserved communities throughout the state.
Over the past year, CarolinaLink members received more than $35.3 million dollars in state and federal grant funds and will invest an additional $17.4 in matching funds for rural broadband expansion projects. Through grant funds provided by the NC GREAT Grant Program and the USDA’s ReConnect and Community Connect Programs, more than 15,000 North Carolina homes and businesses will soon have access to fiber optic high-speed internet. CarolinaLink members also self-fund more than $30 million in rural broadband projects annually.
“We are proud of our coalition members and their efforts to continue the expansion of broadband to rural North Carolinians,” commented Dwight Allen, Executive Vice President of CarolinaLink. “Access to high-speed internet is vital for education, healthcare and business and with fiber optic technology our cooperatives are paving the way for the future of rural North Carolina.”
CarolinaLink members serve residents and businesses in thirty counties throughout the state and employee more than 1,000 North Carolinians. In addition, five of the seven coalition members are Gig-Certified through The Rural Broadband Association. Four of the cooperatives are also nationally recognized as Smart Rural Community Providers, which highlight member projects that make rural communities vibrant places to live and do business through the implementation of innovative broadband-enabled solutions.
For more information about CarolinaLink and their members, visit www.carolinalink.org or www.ncbroadband.com.
About CarolinaLink
CarolinaLink is a political advocacy group for the North Carolina Broadband Cooperative Coalition (NCBCC). NCBCC is made up of the North Carolina’s seven Broadband Membership Cooperatives, who together provide advanced technology services to many of the state’s most rural areas. Through CarolinaLink these companies advocate for public policy goals which improve the lives of North Carolinians living in rural areas, such as ensuring access to state-of-the-art communications services at reasonable prices, whatever their address. CarolinaLink member companies include ATMC, Randolph Communications, RiverStreet Networks, Skyline/Skybest, Star Communications, Surry Communications and Yadtel. For more information about CarolinaLink, visit carolinalink.org.
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