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North Carolina Broadband Director Gets Set for a Big Lift on BEAD Changes

Across the United States, expanding broadband access remains a priority at every level of government. With millions still lacking reliable internet, the Biden administration launched the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program—$42.45 billion in funding designed to close the digital divide. The BEAD initiative stands as the largest federal investment to date in broadband infrastructure, placing substantial responsibility on states to carry out deployment plans efficiently and equitably.

North Carolina continues to distinguish itself as a leader in this national movement. The state has taken concrete steps to prepare for the scale and complexity of BEAD implementation, appointing a new Broadband Director to steer the operation. With oversight spanning everything from grant awards to stakeholder coordination, the role carries weight—and the expectations are high.

Understanding the BEAD Program: Opportunity and Oversight

BEAD: What It Stands For and What It Aims to Do

BEAD, or Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment, represents the centerpiece of the federal government’s push to close the digital divide. Created through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) of 2021, the program allocates $42.45 billion to states and territories to expand affordable high-speed internet service to unserved and underserved populations.

The initiative prioritizes deployment in areas lacking access to minimum broadband speeds of 25 Mbps download and 3 Mbps upload—criteria long considered outdated by current internet usage standards. Emphasis also falls on promoting digital equity and driving measurable improvements in rural connectivity, inclusion, and local economic development.

Key Parameters Shaping the BEAD Rollout

Washington’s Framework vs. North Carolina’s Execution

Administration of the BEAD program rests with the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), which provides guidance, approves state plans, and controls fund disbursement. States, however, craft their own implementation plans—tailored to local conditions, demographics, and infrastructure gaps.

In North Carolina, the Division of Broadband and Digital Equity within the state Department of Information Technology manages the process. The Director leads submission of both the Initial Proposal and the Five-Year Action Plan, aligning deployment with statewide equity goals and technical feasibility. While some states lean heavily on local internet service providers (ISPs), North Carolina has actively engaged in cross-sector data mapping and collaborative planning to build more granular investment strategies.

Regulatory Developments Influencing BEAD Allocations

As of January 2024, the Federal Communications Commission’s FCC National Broadband Map remains the baseline for BEAD eligibility determinations. States—including North Carolina—were required to challenge inaccuracies in listed broadband availability. The FCC's Fabric Challenge Process concluded in Q4 2023, directly shaping funding calculations via location-level precision data on service status and speeds.

Separately, NTIA's evolving guidance on project eligibility, match fund requirements, and subgrantee scoring introduced additional compliance demands. The federal preference remains firm on fiber-optic solutions, but recent rulemaking has allowed increased state discretion in cases where terrain, density, or cost create deployment challenges. That flexibility marks a turning point for North Carolina, which faces both mountainous terrain in the west and disconnected rural clusters across the east.

Guiding the Digital Expansion: The Broadband Director’s Pivotal Role

At the helm of North Carolina’s broadband transformation stands the state’s Broadband Director, whose responsibilities extend far beyond administrative oversight. This role commands strategic direction, technical execution, and inter-agency synchrony—functioning as the nerve center for deploying and managing the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program investments across the state.

Orchestrating Infrastructure and Compliance

The director oversees every stage of broadband development—from planning and mapping to infrastructure deployment and grant management. These tasks require a precise understanding of both geographic broadband disparities and regulatory boundaries. Through methodical tracking, the director guarantees that every dollar from BEAD funding goes toward measurable expansion. Monitoring compliance isn’t isolated to checkbox audits; it entails active data collection, detailed performance benchmarking, and enforced adherence to the NTIA’s program guidelines.

Leading the Drive for Digital Equity

Equity is not just a policy goal—it’s a mandated outcome under BEAD. The director must ensure that historically underserved communities—rural populations, low-income households, and unserved tribal lands—are prioritized. This includes overseeing the development of the Five-Year Action Plan and Digital Equity plans that align with federal benchmarks. The director applies a data-driven approach to identify digital divides and then allocates resources accordingly to close them with permanence, not short-term fixes.

Building Collaborative Momentum

Connectivity doesn’t happen in a vacuum. The director’s efforts revolve around cross-functional collaboration with:

This engagement strategy produces results—streamlined permitting, early detection of regional bottlenecks, and a shared sense of accountability. Rather than issuing top-down directives, the director uses stakeholder feedback loops to shape project pipelines in real time and adjust implementation models based on local realities.

How does one individual manage such a statewide initiative? Not alone. The Broadband Director leads a growing team of technical experts, policy analysts, and data scientists—each one contributing to the orchestration of North Carolina’s connected future.

Broadband Infrastructure Challenges Across North Carolina

Urban Access Thrives While Rural Gaps Endure

North Carolina’s broadband landscape reflects a persistent digital divide. In metro areas like Charlotte, Raleigh, and Durham, high-speed internet saturates communities, with coverage rates exceeding 95% according to FCC Form 477 data. In stark contrast, many rural counties — particularly in the western mountains and northeastern coastal plains — continue to experience limited connectivity. For example, Graham County reports only 39% broadband availability at the FCC’s 25/3 Mbps benchmark, based on 2022 NC Department of Information Technology data.

These disparities restrict access to remote work, digital learning, and telehealth. Households without reliable broadband remain locked out of both economic opportunity and essential services, reinforcing cycles of regional inequity and rural outmigration.

Infrastructure Lags in the State’s Least-Served Areas

In underserved counties—such as Hyde, Tyrrell, and Swain—fiber-optic infrastructure remains largely absent. Many communities rely on outdated DSL or mobile hotspots, both of which fail to meet the modern demands of video conferencing, cloud computing, or data streaming. Current state maps reveal that over 1.1 million North Carolinians lack access to internet with speeds of at least 100/20 Mbps, the new federal minimum under the BEAD program.

Investment has begun to shift the balance. Under the Growing Rural Economies with Access to Technology (GREAT) grant program, deployments have accelerated, yet implementation often trails schedule. In early 2024, the NC Broadband Infrastructure Office cited more than 60 funded projects behind by at least three months, mostly due to administrative or technical bottlenecks.

Deployment Obstacles: Geography, Capital, and Permits

Restrictions on municipal broadband further complicate progress, hobbling public efforts to fill the vacuum where the private sector remains inactive. Meanwhile, coordination across county and state lines requires more seamless administrative tools to drive execution without cross-agency friction.

Navigating the BEAD Changes: What’s Ahead

Recent shifts in the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program framework are reshaping how states like North Carolina prepare to bridge the digital divide. These changes, released by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) in late 2023, redefine eligible technology standards, place greater emphasis on low-cost plan requirements, and introduce more stringent buildout obligations tied to funding timelines.

Key BEAD Changes Redefining the Landscape

Impact on North Carolina’s Broadband Strategy

These updates directly impact North Carolina’s allocation planning and rollout sequencing. The stricter performance criteria may eliminate certain wireless and satellite solutions from consideration unless they can empirically demonstrate compliance. As a result, fiber deployments are likely to account for a higher percentage of funded projects.

In terms of funding flows, North Carolina will need to recalibrate its scoring framework for subgrantees. Applications prioritizing speed, reliability, and cost-efficiency will receive preference. To accommodate the enhanced location challenge process, the state must also invest in GIS upgrades, public portals, and validation protocols—efforts already underway in coordination with the state's Department of Information Technology (DIT).

Strategic Adjustments Led by the Broadband Director

Under the leadership of North Carolina’s Broadband Director, the Office of Digital Equity and Literacy is actively overhauling its initial BEAD action plan. Working groups have been reorganized to focus on specific domains—technical compliance, affordability enforcement, and geospatial readiness. The Director is leading inter-agency coordination to ensure BEAD updates are reflected in all grant review criteria, infrastructure assessments, and public engagement programs.

Preparations also include engaging broadband providers through revised pre-qualification protocols that assess scalability and cost of proposed technologies. In addition, the state is soliciting input from local governments and community broadband coalitions to test the usability and accuracy of its forthcoming broadband service location challenge portal.

What will success look like under these new conditions? The Director’s team is betting on a more resilient funding pipeline, higher-quality infrastructure, and measurable progress on inclusion benchmarks—all reflective of the NTIA’s renewed vision for the BEAD program.

Funding Strategy: Leveraging Federal and State Support

Building on BEAD: North Carolina's Roadmap to Maximize Federal Investment

North Carolina is slated to receive $1.53 billion through the federal Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program, according to allocations announced by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) in June 2023. This figure represents the fifth-largest allocation in the country and signals a transformative opportunity for the state.

In addition to BEAD, the state continues to tap into other federal infrastructure grants. Through the Capital Projects Fund (CPF), North Carolina secured $171 million, specifically earmarked for broadband initiatives in underserved areas. Layered on top of this, the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funnelled nearly $350 million through the state's Growing Rural Economies with Access to Technology (GREAT) grant program, further boosting North Carolina's broadband expansion efforts.

Coordinating Multiple Streams: The Role of Federal Agencies

The North Carolina Department of Information Technology (NCDIT), led by the state's Broadband and Digital Equity director, is aligning BEAD funding with other federal sources, particularly programs administered by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The FCC's Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), which provides a monthly internet subsidy to eligible low-income households, serves as a complementary support strategy rather than a buildout fund—but it's factored into deployment planning to ensure adoption rates meet infrastructure investments.

North Carolina is also leveraging the FCC's Broadband Data Collection (BDC) to ensure more accurate fund targeting, avoiding overlap and prioritizing locations that federal maps previously missed or misclassified. Coordinating with the USDA’s ReConnect Loan and Grant Program adds another layer of support, particularly beneficial to agriculture-heavy counties where broadband gaps intersect with food system logistics and rural economic development.

Prioritizing Allocation: Who Gets Funded First—and Why

The core of the funding strategy lies in a deliberate prioritization framework. State planners have committed to a tiered deployment model:

This strategic hierarchy supports both statewide coverage objectives and federal compliance mandates. But beyond ticking boxes, it positions North Carolina to build a broadband system that doesn’t just reach everyone—it lasts.

Aligning Policy and Regulation: How North Carolina Matches BEAD’s Compliance Standards

State-Federal Synergy in Broadband Policy

North Carolina’s broadband policy architecture mirrors the federal expectations set by the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program. The North Carolina Department of Information Technology (NCDIT), through its Division of Broadband and Digital Equity, operates under a framework designed to ensure eligibility for federal funding and compliance with directives issued by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA).

The state’s statutory language—embedded within House Bill 815 and related legislation—delineates objectives that mirror BEAD’s structure: expanding access in unserved and underserved areas, ensuring affordable service, and supporting workforce development. In practice, these statutes enable the Broadband Director to prioritize infrastructure investments that satisfy both North Carolina law and BEAD’s funding criteria.

Regulatory Coordination: FCC and Beyond

Compliance with regulatory requirements doesn’t stop at the state border. North Carolina must maintain direct lines of coordination with multiple federal entities—particularly the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The FCC’s broadband availability maps, challenged for accuracy in the past, now play a pivotal role in project eligibility. North Carolina’s data validation efforts are therefore conducted in parallel with FCC methodologies, ensuring accurate service mapping to avoid misallocation of resources.

The state also interfaces with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) administrators, given the environmental compliance requirements tied to large-scale fiber deployments. Project approval cycles take into account not only network readiness but also right-of-way permits, pole attachment agreements, and trenching protocols—all governed under multi-layer regulatory frameworks.

Mechanisms of Oversight and Transparency

Ensuring compliance requires systems built for accountability. North Carolina integrates detailed reporting mandates into its grant administration process. All subgrantees of BEAD funds are required to submit quarterly progress reports, financial disclosures, and construction status updates. The state aggregates this data and transmits it to the NTIA in compliance with the BEAD program's oversight rules.

Under the Broadband Director’s administration, these compliance structures create a landscape where policy cohesion enables funding flow, agency trust, and a direct pathway for North Carolina to maintain its BEAD eligibility while advancing toward genuine broadband equality.

Public-Private Partnerships: The Engine Behind North Carolina’s Broadband Expansion

Turning Collaboration into Connection

North Carolina’s Broadband Office, led by the Broadband Director, has made industry collaboration the cornerstone of its deployment strategy under the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program. The state government has leaned into partnership models that bring together telecom providers, municipal leaders, and community-focused organizations. This coalition approach removes silos and creates technical, logistical, and financial synergy. Bringing broadband to underserved areas at speed and scale simply doesn’t happen without shared risk and coordinated investment.

State-Led Initiatives Driving Coordination

Through programs like the Growing Rural Economies with Access to Technology (GREAT) Grant Program, the North Carolina Department of Information Technology (NCDIT) has allocated funding based on direct collaboration with internet service providers (ISPs). This model requires ISPs to co-invest alongside the state, with multiple rounds of grants emphasizing last-mile broadband projects in rural and economically distressed counties. In May 2023, $55 million in GREAT grants were awarded to ISPs across 25 counties, with total project values reaching roughly $82 million when matching funds were included.

Examples of Public-Private Partnerships in Action

Strategic Aspects of Effective Partnerships

What sets these partnerships apart is the strategic alignment on goals, timelines, and resource allocations. Successful models agree on shared metrics such as households passed, gigabit capability thresholds, and affordability benchmarks. They mitigate overlapping infrastructure buildouts by sharing GIS data and synchronizing trenching where feasible. Additionally, some telecoms agree to open-access network models in exchange for expedited rights-of-way.

Driving Broadband Rollout with Coordinated Investment

These implementations demonstrate that well-structured public-private partnerships aren’t theoretical ideals—they yield measurable results. The North Carolina Broadband Director continues to convene regional summits with providers and local governments to replicate and scale these partnerships. The approach enables the state to pivot from reactive grantmaking toward proactive infrastructure planning, accelerating fiber expansion outcomes in lockstep with BEAD mandates.

Ground-Level Insight: Bridging Broadband Gaps Through Community Engagement

Focusing on Local Voices to Shape Broadband Expansion

For North Carolina’s Broadband Director, closing the digital divide is not just a matter of infrastructure—it begins with understanding people. Communities across the state vary drastically in geography, demographics, and existing access levels. Identifying real broadband gaps requires hands-on input from residents, tribal leaders, educators, healthcare providers, and small businesses. That’s why stakeholder engagement isn't an afterthought—it forms the decision-making backbone of the BEAD deployment strategy.

Conducting listening tours, focus groups, and county-by-county data collection sessions will help uncover the pockets where service is nonexistent, unreliable, or unaffordable. These findings will directly influence how and where BEAD program dollars flow. The Director’s office plans to distill these qualitative insights alongside quantitative mapping to guide broadband build-out with geographic and demographic precision.

Targeting Investments Where They Matter Most

Where should the resources go first? The answer won’t come from state headquarters in Raleigh—it will come from communities with the best understanding of their own needs. From rural mountain towns in the west to pockets of broadband scarcity in urban centers, localized feedback will prioritize funding based on lived experience and need complexity.

Correcting Historic Underservice, Not Just Expanding Access

The BEAD program does not only aim to increase coverage—it must repair systemic neglect. North Carolina’s approach will blend deployment strategy with equity goals to reach low-income neighborhoods, Black and Latino communities, Indigenous lands, and immigrant populations historically left out of digital progress. Strategies under active development include:

This approach flips the broadband narrative—from “where do we build next?” to “who must we serve first?” By rooting deployment in direct community relationships and equity-driven metrics, the Director is building a broadband future where access isn’t just available—it’s inclusive, responsive, and anchored in the realities of North Carolinians.

https\:\/\/www\.ncbroadband\.gov\/images\/broadband\-before\-after\-map\.png / Broadband coverage map comparison before and after BEAD funding in North Carolina

Charting the Road Ahead: North Carolina's Broadband Horizon

Envisioning Statewide Connectivity by 2028

North Carolina’s broadband leadership is turning its attention to the execution phase of the BEAD Program Implementation, setting clear priorities for infrastructure buildouts and digital inclusion. The state aims to deliver high-speed internet access—defined as at least 100 Mbps down and 20 Mbps up—to 95% of households by 2028. This goal aligns with the federal government’s broadband coverage baseline and addresses FCC Compliance on Broadband standard metrics.

Data models from the NC Department of Information Technology (NCDIT) project that with full BEAD funding utilization and sourced telecom partnerships, broadband availability can increase from the current 88% to over 96% in three years. This would close remaining gaps across mountainous regions, lower-income urban zones, and coastal communities vulnerable to persistent outages.

Tracking Progress Through Measurable Benchmarks

Quantifiable outcomes will define the success of Broadband Infrastructure Development in North Carolina. The following statewide benchmarks have been outlined for biennial review:

In tandem, state agencies will monitor affordability metrics and broadband redundancy progress in chronically underserved geographies using GIS and precision mapping audits.

Sparking Civic Awareness Around Broadband Access

Transmission lines and fiber drops alone won't drive transformation. Buy-in from residents and businesses remains essential to sustaining long-term momentum. The Broadband Infrastructure Office plans a public awareness campaign launching mid-2024 to demystify Broadband Program Requirements, highlight funding opportunities, and build digital confidence among low-adoption populations.

Outreach efforts will focus on: