NC Launches $50M Broadband Recovery After Tropical Storm Helene

Gov. Josh Stein announced a $50 million Broadband Recovery Program to provide grants to internet service providers to rebuild and repair broadband infrastructure across 39 disaster-designated counties in western North Carolina. The program — established under legislation signed in August and funded with federal American Rescue Plan Act dollars — prioritizes projects that restore service to residents, businesses and community institutions, including areas serving the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. Providers may apply online through the North Carolina Department of Information Technology’s Broadband Infrastructure Office Data Exchange by 11:59 p.m. on Nov. 24 and must include estimated project costs. The funding responds to widespread telecommunications damage from Tropical Storm Helene in September 2024, which killed more than 100 people in the state and left much of western North Carolina offline or with limited service for weeks. State officials say the investment will help people reconnect for jobs, school and recovery.