Several years ago during a Macon County Economic Development Commission meeting, former county commissioner Ronnie Beale made it clear that broadband connectivity was going to be an issue for Western North Carolina for a long time.
Beale was right, and the process to bring additional broadband resources to the westernmost counties has been slow but steady.
But thanks to projects like the Town of Highlands fiber network construction and the expansion of providers to under-served areas prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic, there is finally momentum building for additional broadband connectivity.
Earlier this month it was announced that the North Carolina Department of Information and Technology would be administering a new round of Growing Rural Economies with Access to Technology (GREAT) grants. The grants will help connect 25,825 households to high-speed Internet across the state and some of those funds are coming to Scaly Mountain.
Balsam West was awarded $992,000 in partnership with Macon County, Little T Broadband Service and Haywood Electrical Membership Corp. The grant will connect 263 households in the Scaly Mountain and Otto areas to high-speed Internet.
While 263 homes and businesses may not sound like an Earth-shattering number, it’s a major step forward for countless children who need to have Internet access for schoolwork, home-based business owners, and people who simply want to be on the same playing field as their nearby neighbors who have high-speed Internet.
Fast and reliable Internet access is today what electric service was 100-plus years ago. It’s not a luxury afforded only to those who decide to live in cities, but a necessity for daily life.
Kudos to all the agencies that made the most recent GREAT Grant possible – Balsam West, Little T Broadband, Haywood Electric, Macon County, and to the elected officials who continue to fight for additional funds related to technology and connectivity.
There is no magic bullet to bring high-speed Internet to the most remote areas across Western North Carolina, but as the most recent grant cycle shows, there are ways to improve access and close the gaps.