BUNCOMBE COUNTY, N.C. (WLOS) — Buncombe County leaders say more homes and businesses will have access to high-speed internet thanks to nearly $1 million in state funds awarded to Frontier Communications, a company that settled a legal battle with North Carolina in 2024 over internet speeds and infrastructure.

This comes after Gov. Josh Stein announced more than $31 million in Completing Access to Broadband (CAB) program projects, which aim to connect 10,810 households and businesses in Buncombe and 13 other counties to high-speed internet.

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“Broadband is critical to providing more economic opportunity to every corner of the state, and I am proud to create a stronger and more connected North Carolina for every person and small business owner,” Gov. Stein said in the announcement press release.

Buncombe County leaders said in an April 8 news release that the NC Department of Information Technology had awarded a CAB project to Frontier Communications. The total project cost $959,098 and required no county matching funds.

The Buncombe County project will provide high-speed internet access to 132 homes or businesses (or 6.35% of the county’s 2,079 eligible locations), county leaders said.

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The award to Frontier Communications comes nearly a year after the state reached a settlement with the company over-promised internet speeds that customers did not receive. A statement from then-state Attorney General Stein’s office said the settlement required Frontier to invest $20 million over the next four years to improve internet infrastructure and speeds. Frontier also agreed to pay $300,000 in restitution to customers affected by slower speeds in North Carolina.

“We’ve been hearing concerns from Frontier customers for years now, and I’m hopeful that these investments will lead to better service,” Stein said in the April 16, 2024, news release.

According to the Award Decision Memorandum for the project, the evaluation committee used a “best value methodology.” This methodology is “selection of a contractor based on the determination of which proposal offered the best trade-off between price and performance, which quality is considered an integral performance factor,” according to N.C.G.S 143-135.9.

The memorandum went on to say that an evaluation of the strengths of Frontier Communications’ proposal found that “financial risk assessment is low,” “no notification of failure to meet milestones or submit reports,” and “its fiber infrastructure delivers superior resilience.”

In Tuesday’s press release, Buncombe County Commissioners said increasing broadband access is a priority for the board, noting that they have partnered with North Carolina and other providers on multiple grant projects to bring high-speed internet service to more than 2,700 unserved households since 2020.

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“Over the past five years, our targeted focus on understanding the needs and gaps of services in our community and pursuing strategies and funding to address those needs will benefit our community over the course of many years,” Commissioner Terri Wells said in a written statement. “I appreciate all our partners who continue to work with us on improving our infrastructure in Buncombe County.”

News 13 has reached out to state leaders regarding the selection of Frontier Communications for this project and will update the story as more information becomes available.