Dear friends and partners,
As we step into a new year, the Blue Ridge Broadband Alliance is going to need you to help us shape what’s right for WNC. From deeper policy Many thanks to everyone who braved the winter weather to attend our Fiber in the Mountains event on January 29 (and to those who joined online)! We’re excited to bring more opportunities for learning and collaboration to this community throughout 2026.
On that note—we need you to help shape the future of the Blue Ridge Broadband Alliance. Our Needs Assessment survey is designed to guide the strategic direction, sustainability, and impact of BRBA based on your input.
We’ll discuss survey results at our next meeting on February 17 at 1 PM (more on that below), so please complete it ASAP!What Does WNC Need? Community Voices Shape the BRBA’s Next Chapter
Warm regards,
Sara Nichols
Blue Ridge Broadband Alliance
In This Edition
Upcoming Meetings
Drew’s Policy Corner
What Does WNC Need? Community Voices Shape the BRBA’s Next Chapter
Big Stories
See Also
Upcoming Meetings
Our new meeting time is the third Thursday of the month at 1 PM! This is a new meeting series, so please re-register here.
- February: Our February meeting will be February 17 at 1 PM.
- March: Our March meeting will be March 17 at 1 PM.
Drew’s Policy Corner
The BEAD program is chugging along. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration recently announced that 50 out of 56 state Final Proposals have been approved.
Non-deployment funding is getting renewed attention. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick recently confirmed that states will get access to all allocated BEAD funds, including non-deployment funding. NTIA hosted a listening session on potential uses of non-deployment funding on February 11, and will host another on February 18 at 2 PM. NTIA is also accepting written comments. Additional information can be found here.
We’ll keep you posted, and talk a little more about what this means at our meeting on Tuesday!
What Does WNC Need? Community Voices Shape the BRBA’s Next Chapter
When Hurricane Helene struck Western North Carolina in September of 2024, taking out communications systems and infrastructure throughout the region, community members stepped up and got to work. In the face of unprecedented destruction, communities drew on local knowledge and neighbors helping neighbors to rebuild.
The Blue Ridge Broadband Alliance (BRBA) was built on that same principle, that what makes Western North Carolina strong is the people who live there. BRBA aims to bring together stakeholders from across the region for education and collaboration to amplify regional voice and ensure that the WNC community has the connectivity and skills it needs to thrive in an increasingly digital world.
As BRBA grows, we want to continue to honor the priorities of you, our members. Your local insights will shape the priorities of the coalition.
How We Got Here
Since launching in June of 2025, BRBA has proven that Western North Carolinians can—and will—organize effectively around broadband and digital inclusion. In its first seven months, BRBA has brought together a diverse group of stakeholders for monthly virtual meetings. These meetings have brought together members to meet and learn from state and national experts on a variety of topics, including broadband policy, technology options, and affordability strategies. They also provide a space for collaboration between Western North Carolinians working on similar (and often interrelated) issues.
In addition to monthly meetings, BRBA has hosted two in-person events, with plans to continue hosting in-person events every quarter. The first of these events was the October 2025 Digital Inclusion Pitch Party at Devil’s Foot Brewing in Asheville, where four organizations pitched their digital inclusion projects to a panel of judges, and each won cash funding and other prizes. In January 2026, BRBA hosted Fiber in the Mountains in Sylva. Attendees were treated to panels from fiber broadband experts, and demonstrations from Corning Fiber Optics.
Why Does This Moment Require Community Input?
The broadband landscape has changed dramatically since our launch in June 2025, and as 2026 brings new challenges and opportunities, we want to make sure we’re staying aligned.
Implementation of the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) program is beginning, but not without struggles. Five WNC counties—Clay, Madison, Mitchell, Polk, and Yancey—will receive funding for satellite service for all of their BEAD eligible locations, leaving residents and advocates with concerns about affordability and quality of service. The fate of North Carolina’s remaining $1.2 billion BEAD allocation, intended by statute for non-deployment activities, is still in question.
Meanwhile, the termination of federal funding such as the Digital Equity Act, economic pressures, and political uncertainty continue to strain the organizations doing digital opportunity work on the ground. These factors make long term planning for non-profits and community organizations difficult.
The stakes for this work have never been higher. BRBA’s goal has always been to be for Western North Carolina, by Western North Carolina. To speak for this community accurately we need to hear directly from the people doing this work and the communities experiencing the digital divide firsthand.
What We’re Asking
Rather than leaders dictating what WNC needs, BRBA is asking stakeholders to shape our priorities directly by participating in a comprehensive survey. Questions cover:
- The Future of the Alliance: What should our role be? How should we measure success?
- Events, Convenings & Training Needs: What kind of events would be valuable to you? What topics would you like to learn more about? What capacities are you interested in building?
- Project Development & Collaboration: What types of projects is your organization interested in pursuing? What kind of projects would you like to see BRBA coordinate?
- Policy, Advocacy & Systems Change: How engaged are you in policy? What would make it easier for you to engage with policy? How should BRBA show up in policy spaces?
- Funding, Sustainability & Capacity: What are your funding needs? What support would be most helpful from BRBA?
- Coalition Structure & Governance: How do you want to engage with BRBA? How can we ensure representation of diverse communities?
Finally, the survey asks stakeholders about their vision for 2026 and beyond. Stakeholders are encouraged to share what BRBA could do to make the biggest impact for their community, what success for digital opportunity in WNC looks like to them, and what they’d like BRBA leadership to know as we plan for the future.
How Input Will Be Used
The survey will close after the next BRBA meeting. Survey results will be anonymized to be shared with the new BRBA steering committee and other stakeholders. These results will be deeply influential to this group as we lay an important foundation for the coalition. We want to hear from as many stakeholders as possible, so please share broadly with others you want to bring into the world of broadband and digital opportunity (even if they aren’t going to be active members).
Complete the survey (or get the link to share!) here.
By Zoë Walker
Big Stories
Sara Nichols Helps Western North Carolina Access the World | NC Rural Center | February 4, 2026
Sara Nichols is a longtime rural advocate who has helped Western North Carolinians access broadband for most of the past decade. In 2023, she testified before the House Subcommittee on Communication and Technology on the future of rural broadband funding. In 2025, she was named the Tech Difference Maker of the Year by the NC Tech Association and also served as a 2025 Rural Summit broadband funding panelist. Hurricane Helene’s massive power outages solidified how the energy and economic development sides of her work connect since there’s no communications technology without power. The storm also allowed her to work with solar since the sun continues to shine when the power’s out. The deployment of solar-powered microgrids with Starlink satellite units means that not only means are some rural areas better served, but that they’re also prepared for future adverse weather events. Last summer, to further give Western North Carolina a collective voice on regional broadband issues, Sara helped create the Blue Ridge Broadband Alliance, a regional coalition already with 100+ members, including the Rural Center. All of this work is focused on closing the digital divide so that more western North Carolinians have the same access to the same technology and resources as many other areas of the state.
Looking Back and at What’s Ahead for the Digital Opportunities Initiative | Dogwood Health Trust
Our big goal for the Digital Opportunities Initiative is to make high-speed internet and the tools people need to use it available, affordable and useful for everybody. We realized early on that focusing on broadband infrastructure alone wasn’t enough. It had to be paired with helping everyone use the internet in ways that improve their lives. We need approaches rooted in collaboration and homegrown strategies that focus on people. This work is building community partnerships, equipping local leaders and engaging residents in removing barriers. And that’s exactly what’s emerging through the work of our collaboratives.
See Also
Fight over fiber internet and Musk satellites is shaping NC’s broadband future | News & Observer
Gov. Stein joins federal officials to pressure data centers to pay for more electricity in the Mid-Atlantic | WUNC
CommScope cancels $60 million expansion plan in North Carolina, then loses $2 million state grant | Fierce
Register for the 2026 Rural Summit March 26-27 in Raleigh! | NC Rural Center