The Daily Southerner, Tarboro, NC

Local News

May 13, 2010

$24M grant will help bring broadband

JAMICÁ C. ASHLEY Staff Writer

PRINCEVILLE — Edgecombe County will receive some much needed financial assistance with making broadband access available to the rural areas of the county.

Golden LEAF has awarded a $24 million grant to help secure $78 million in federal money to bring broadband fiber to 69 counties across North Carolina.

"The expansion of broadband access in rural counties is critical to jobs, economic investment, education and communications," Gov. Bev Perdue said. "The Golden LEAF Foundation has provided the critical matching dollars which will make this project possible.

"More than 1,000 jobs are associated with just the installation and creation of the network and the lasting benefits to homes, schools and businesses will be significant," added Perdue.

The project is estimated to cost a total of $111 million – $78 million that has been requested from National Telecommunications and Information Administration's Broadband Technology Opportunities Program and $33 million in matching funds from the state, of which Golden LEAF's $24 million is a part.

More than 1,000 temporary jobs are expected to be created in engineering and construction jobs lasting on average one and a half years.

Ten to 12 permanent jobs will be created to maintain the fiber infrastructure.

The grant money will also serve as leverage to other private and public resources for this initiative.

Of the 69 counties, 67 are underserved or partially underserved when it comes to broadband connections.

Neighboring Nash, Martin, Halifax, Pitt and Wilson counties are receiving funding as well.

The 69 counties being assisted account for 67 percent of the state's total square miles, 66 percent of the state's population and households and 68 percent of the state's businesses.

"These areas of the state are struggling to transition their economies," said Dan Gerlach, president of Golden LEAF. "The Foundation Board of Directors views this initiative as an opportunity to provide essential infrastructure, take advantage of federal matching dollars and invest directly in efforts to grow stronger communities.

"Access to fiber in these areas will help level the playing field by providing global connectivity for business and educational opportunities," continued Gerlach. "Rural North Carolina cannot be left behind."

The broadband initiative will also stabalize costs for 179 public school systems, community colleges, libraries, universities and other public institutions by providing a direct connection to the existing North Carolina Research and Education Network. Edgecombe County is also part of the State Library of North Carolina Public Computer Center grant along with Nash and Wilson counties.

The Golden LEAF Foundation has awarded $136,000 to serve as match funds for the State Library of North Carolina's federal grant proposal to provide additional laptops, broadband access and personnel to 35 libraries across the state.

This grant is aimed at providing additional resources to communities with large numbers of job seekers who use public libraries for resume development, job searches and networking.

The William and Melinda Gates Foundation also provided matching funds for the state library proposal.

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