Funder: North Carolina Department of IT — GREAT Broadband
Due Dates (Anticipated): December 2026 (Federal state/territory applications) | May 2027 (New program plans) | June 2027 (Federal Tribal applications) | September 2027 (State/territory Grant and Program Plans)
Funding Amounts: Just over $273 million allocated to North Carolina; GREAT awards capped at $4 million each, with matching investment required
Summary: Supports North Carolina broadband infrastructure through the GREAT Grant Program to expand access to critical services.
Key Information: North Carolina directs this funding through GREAT, which funds private broadband providers serving unserved areas of economically distressed counties.
Description
North Carolina’s Capital Project Funds support broadband infrastructure through the Growing Rural Economies with Access to Technology (GREAT) Grant Program, administered by NCDIT’s Broadband Infrastructure Office. The funding comes from the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Coronavirus Capital Projects Fund, established under the American Rescue Plan Act to respond to the COVID-19 public health emergency and its negative economic impacts. Session Law 2021-180 appropriates North Carolina’s allocation for broadband infrastructure.
The investment aims to give communities access to reliable, affordable, high-quality internet needed for work, education, and health monitoring, including remote services. GREAT provides competitive funding to private broadband providers deploying infrastructure in unserved areas of economically distressed counties. Federal CPF priorities emphasize last-mile connections and fiber-optic infrastructure where feasible.
