BRMEMC Receives Additional N.C. GREAT Grant Funding to Expand Broadband

On July 6, Blue Ridge Mountain EMC (BRMEMC) was awarded $5.5 million in funding through the Growing Rural Economies with Access to Technology (GREAT) Grant program as part of Gov. Roy Cooper’s plan to invest nearly $2 billion in federal and state funds to close the digital divide in North Carolina. The GREAT program provides matching grants to internet service providers and electric membership cooperatives that partner with individual N.C. counties to compete for funding to expand high-speed internet service to unserved areas of the state. BRMEMC will match 30% of the total $5.5 million and the state of North Carolina will cover the remaining 70%. All awards are contingent on final executed grant agreements with broadband provider partners.

Funds from this grant will be used to expand BRMEMC’s fiber-optic network in the Tusquittee area of Clay County, North Carolina. At project completion approximately 1,300 residences will have access to BRMEMC’s fiber-optic internet service.

BRMEMC engineers will begin the planning and design of the project very soon with the construction beginning a few months later, depending on material shipments. The project will be done in phases so that residents can sign up for service as portions of the project is completed.

“We are very excited and fortunate to be awarded funding, once again, through the GREAT Grant program to get broadband to underserved areas like Tusquittee. Clay County will be the first county in our service territory to be 95% served with fiber-optic internet service,” said Director of Broadband Alex King.

To be eligible for a GREAT grant, all internet service provider applicants like BRMEMC must participate in the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), which provides eligible low-income households a $30 per month discount on high-speed internet service, or provide access to a comparable low-cost program. Learn more about the ACP and how to get $30 per month reliable, high-speed internet packages offered by BRMEMC at brmemc.com/acp.

BRMEMC’s fiber-optic network now serves over 14,500 customers within its service territory and maintains over 1,000 miles of main line fiber.

For more on Blue Ridge Mountain EMC, visit brmemc.com or follow BRMEMC on social media.