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 engagement and starting a steering committee, to new training opportunities, storytelling efforts, and regional initiatives, 2026 is all about how we can keep this work moving. Whether you’ve been with us since the beginning or are just joining the conversation, this is your invitation to lean in, plug in, and help shape the future of connectivity in Western North Carolina. We hope to see you for our second in person event to discuss the future of fiber in WNC. This event is Jan 29th in Sylva. We also will be sharing a needs assessment with you all soon that will help us plan our year of impact. The work ahead is big—but so is the collective power of this Alliance.
Warm regards,
Sara Nichols
Blue Ridge Broadband Alliance
In This Edition
Upcoming Meetings
Drew’s Policy Corner
New Data Resource
Big Broadband Stories
See Also
Upcoming Meetings
- January: The January meeting will be held in person in Sylva on January 29 at 11 am.
- February & Beyond: We’re working to find a meeting time that works for more members. Keep an eye out for a poll to share which times work best for you!
Drew’s Policy Corner
Gov. Josh Stein has joined the growing chorus of voices calling for NTIA to release BEAD’s non-deployment funds. In a December letter, the Governor laid out his vision for how North Carolina could use the roughly $1.2 billion dollars. He identified seven specific goals: 1) connect locations missed by BEAD, 2) strengthen networks against natural disasters and other threats, 3) promote online safety and cybersecurity, 4) invest in AI infrastructure and education, 5) streamline broadband permitting, 6) expand the telecommunications workforce, and 7) improve digital skills and broadband adoption.
We expect to know which, if any, of these uses NTIA will allow by March 11th. By then, NTIA must, first, determine which states are in compliance with the Trump administration’s prohibition against “onerous” AI-related laws and, second, define how compliant states (and only compliant states) can use their non-deployment funding. What this means for North Carolina or any state is not yet clear, but over $20 billion hangs in the balance.
New Data Resource
The rates of broadband subscription in the 18 counties that the Blue Ridge Broadband Alliance spans lag behind national subscription rates, as well as the overall rate for counties in the Appalachian Region. As BRBA members work to get their neighbors and communities connected, understanding where there are households in need of internet service is a key first step. But just subscribing to broadband may not be enough to ensure that everyone in the region has the opportunity and resources that they need to use technology in their daily lives.
Not all broadband service is created equal—people using a cellular data plan, satellite service, and wired broadband service may have vastly different experiences trying to complete tasks online, based on the reliability and speed of their connection, among other factors. Examining who does and does not have broadband service also doesn’t tell us much about who might need help now or in the future, paying for internet and computers that work well, or who might need help learning digital skills or dealing with accessibility challenges. These are important differences that BRBA members have likely already come up against in their digital opportunities work.
These realities motivated Benton Senior Fellow John B. Horrigan, PhD to gather a range of metrics for each of the 18 counties—data related to connectivity, economic conditions, and digital skills in the community—that together tell a story about what kinds of barriers residents might face to accessing and using broadband meaningfully. Identifying barriers through the data also suggests the kinds of support that might be most helpful.
Today, we’ve published John’s report and a map that summarizes the metrics on the BRBA resources page, so members can use and reference metrics as they plan and advocate for connected communities. The report includes a profile for each county, pointing to metrics that stand out in the region. The map offers a visualization of broadband subscription rates in each county—by selecting a county on the map, you can see all of its metrics in one place.
We’ll join the February BRBA meeting to talk with members about the report and the map, ways to use the metrics for decision-making, and our next steps with these and other data. In the meantime, I encourage you to explore these new resources and consider how the metrics line up with lived experiences—yours and those of others in your community. Drawing together data and storytelling can help us get new stakeholders interested in our causes, make responsible decisions about how to use resources, and see improvement happen over time.
By Caroline Stratton
Big Broadband Stories
Governor Josh Stein Unlocks More Than $300 Million for Broadband Expansion Projects | North Carolina Office of the Governor | December 21, 2025
Governor Josh Stein announced that the National Telecommunications and Information Administration has approved North Carolina’s proposal to bring high-speed internet service to homes and communities across the state under the federal Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program. This approval paves the way for the state to award more than $300 million of its $1.53 billion allocation for projects to expand high-speed internet access to more than 93,000 homes, businesses, and other community institutions across North Carolina. After this approval, North Carolina will have more than $1 billion remaining from its $1.53 billion BEAD allocation. While states await guidance for how these funds can be used, Governor Stein recently wrote to the Secretary of Commerce and the NTIA Administrator urging flexibility for how funds can be invested to achieve universal secure high-speed internet and meaningful connectivity for all. His letter highlighted several potential initiatives the state would launch using these funds, addressing issues such as online safety and cybersecurity to protect the state’s networks and reduce scams, workforce development and artificial intelligence training, infrastructure resiliency, and eliminating household barriers to connectivity, which will support things like improved telehealth access and skills-building to improve health outcomes. These initiatives would secure and enhance broadband connections while driving innovation and economic growth and preparing North Carolina to lead in the digital economy.
NCDIT Launches $86 Million Stop-Gap Solutions Program to Provide High-Speed Internet Access to Rural North Carolinians | North Carolina Department of Information Technology | December 23, 2025
The North Carolina Department of Information Technology’s Division of Broadband and Digital Opportunity announced the launch of the $86 million Stop-Gap Solutions program to accelerate the expansion of high-speed internet infrastructure to eligible unserved and underserved rural households, businesses, community anchor institutions and state facilities in each county. This Stop-Gap Solutions program will fund broadband line extension projects to connect individuals or small pockets of households or businesses that have not been reached through the Growing Rural Economies with Access to Technology grant or Completing Access to Broadband program. The Stop-Gap Solutions program relies on the concept of leveraging and extending nearby infrastructure to make service available so that work may be completed in the timeline available. NCDIT must expend these program funds by Dec. 31, 2026. While matching funds are not required from broadband providers, the provision of match funding will be considered a strength in the evaluation criteria for this scope of work. Broadband providers that prequalified through the Broadband Expansion and Access Request for Proposals must submit application materials online as described in the Stop-Gap Solutions Scope of Work by 11:59 p.m. on Jan. 26, 2026.
See Also
Letter from Governor Stein to Secretary Howard Lutnick and Assistant Secretary Arielle Roth | North Carolina Office of the Governor
Governor Stein Holds Teacher Roundtable Highlighting Impact of Cell Phone-Free Classrooms | North Carolina Office of the Governor