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Three new high-speed internet projects are coming to Chatham County thanks to grant awards from the North Carolina Department of Information and Technology (NCDIT).<\/p>\n
Broadband expansion across the county is part of North Carolina\u2019s statewide \u201cCompleting Access to Broadband\u201d program. Governor Josh Stein announced $31 million<\/a> in grant funding would be put towards these efforts in April. The grants provided by the program will support expansion projects spearheaded by internet service providers Spectrum, Brightspeed, and Windstream, who will work in collaboration with Chatham County and NCDIT.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cHigh-speed internet is essential for daily life,\u201d said Bryan Thompson, Chatham County Manager. \u201cThese projects move us closer to closing the digital divide and ensuring all Chatham communities have the internet access they need to thrive.\u201d<\/p>\n The new projects will allow ISPs to serve just over 2,000 homes and private businesses who previously lacked high-speed internet access. Chatham County representatives say that the new projects will bring the total of properties across the county with broadband to 10,450. Following these expansions, NCDIT estimates that only 1,813 areas in Chatham County will remain without broadband. Those properties will be the targets of future projects.<\/p>\n Efforts to expand broadband access in Chatham County and across the state has been a governmental priority for a few years. In 2022, the county received grant funding<\/a> from the state\u2019s \u201cGrowing Rural Economies with Access to Technology\u201d (GREAT) grant program, which ultimately provided broadband access to 2,404 homes. That project was taken on by Brightspeed, and was paid for using local funds, private funds from Brightspeed, and grant funding from GREAT. Brightspeed then received a CAB grant in 2024 to provide an additional 2,555 properties with broadband. The latest grants are a continuation of this work, and future grants will be required to provide broadband to all Chatham County properties.<\/p>\n \u201cNo matter where you live in the state, you should have access to high-speed internet,\u201d\u00a0said Governor Josh Stein.\u00a0\u201cBroadband 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.\u201d<\/p>\n To learn more about broadband expansion efforts in Chatham County, visit the Chatham County Broadband Hub Site.<\/a>\u00a0A full release from the county on the new projects can be found here.<\/a><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Chapelboro.com<\/a>\u00a0does not charge subscription fees, and you can\u00a0directly support our efforts in local journalism\u00a0here<\/a>. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by\u00a0signing up for our newsletter.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Related Stories<\/p>\n \u2039<\/p>\n This Week:
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<\/a> More Chatham County residents are using electric vehicles.\u00a0 As a result, the county developed a new mapping tool in October to help residents quickly and accurately locate charging stations in the area.\u00a0<\/p>\n <\/a> Chair of the Orange County Commissioners Renee Price joins 97.9 The Hill’s Brighton McConnell on Wednesday, July 28. She details the recent decision to indefinitely extend the county’s state of emergency for COVID-19.<\/p>\n <\/a> The North Carolina House unanimously approved legislation on Wednesday that aims to spend $750 million in federal coronavirus relief funds to install high-speed internet in rural and remote areas lacking it. The legislation would set aside $350 million in discretionary American Rescue Plan funds earmarked for North Carolina to expand a relatively new state broadband [\u2026]<\/p>\n <\/a> Join Aaron Keck every Tuesday afternoon for Chatham County Roundup, a recurring series that shines the spotlight on Chatham County through engaging discussions and interviews with locals, newsmakers, officials and more.\u00a0 This week on Chatham County Roundup, join Aaron Keck for a conversation with Hannah McClellan from the Chatham News + Record about election news, [\u2026]<\/p>\n <\/a> By Adrianne Cleven,\u00a0Chatham News + Record\u00a0Correspondent Issues of accessibility and flexibility embodied the Pittsboro Town Board of Commissioners meeting Monday, as the group discussed proposed bike paths across town, received an update on Pittsboro\u2019s better-than-expected municipal sales tax revenue and reviewed updates to rules that would allow more flexibility in planning board meetings. The town\u2019s [\u2026]<\/p>\n <\/a> By Bob Wachs,\u00a0Chatham News + Record Staff The Fourth of July holiday has come and gone on the calendar but memories \u2014 of long ago and present day \u2014 are still with us. And, says one local historian, had it not been for a turn of events, Chatham County could have played an even bigger [\u2026]<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/On-the-Porch-FI-scaled-1.jpg\"\/)
On the Porch: A Conversation with Dr. Jim Crawford<\/p>\n
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\nBorn into a blue collar and agricultural clan in rural Pennsylvania,\u00a0Jim Crawford\u00a0was the first in his family to graduate from college. Earning his\u00a0PhD from UNC, he taught US and World History at several universities in piedmont North Carolina for several decades. He served as chairman of the Chatham County board of commissioners, and currently serves as trustee for Central Carolina Community College.\u00a0He is a firm believer in American democracy and trusts that the constitution will hold firm now as it has in past crises despite the broken, distempered electorate.<\/p>\nOn the Porch: A Conversation with Elana Etten<\/p>\n
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\nHost Randy Voller, welcomes\u00a0Elana Etten,\u00a0the\u00a0digital marketing expert on a mission to help small businesses and nonprofits\u00a0\u2018Streamline. Strategize. Simplify.\u2019 As the owner of Identity Marketing US, Elana uses powerful\u00a0tools like AI and automation to take the work out of marketing and business processes, saving\u00a0business owners valuable time and helping them reach more customers. Since 2015, her clients\u00a0have seen game-changing results, like surviving the pandemic, increasing their customer base,\u00a0and cutting their business process hours in half. Elana\u2019s motto is simple: \u2018It\u2019s time to automate\u00a0your business\u2019 so you can focus on what matters most. Let Identity Marketing help you leave\u00a0your mark today.<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Electric-Vehicle-Charging-Station.jpg\"\/)
Chatham County Launches Page to Locate EV Charging Stations<\/p>\nOrange County: State of Emergency and Broadband Expansion<\/p>\n
$750M in Virus Aid for NC Broadband Expansion OK\u2019d by House<\/p>\n
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Chatham County Roundup: Hannah McClellan, Election News and Education Development<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/20200407-180252-FRO_COURTHOUSE_jump_photo_B-e1600281155800.jpg\"\/)
Pittsboro Commissioners Talk Bike Paths, Tax Revenue and Time Capsule at Meeting<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Pittsboro-Pic.jpg\"\/)
Local Historian: Chatham County Was a Big Player in America\u2019s Independence<\/p>\n
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Chatham\u2019s Meat-Processing Plants Under COVID-19 Microscope as Operations Continue<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/ccpl.jpg\"\/)
For Those at Home, Chatham Libraries Can Still Keep You Connected<\/p>\n