“New 480-mile fiber-optic network will create more than 230 jobs”

What’s the News?

“Gov. Perdue today announced that MCNC has received $28.2 million in broadband funding through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) to build a 480-mile fiber-optic network for the North Carolina Research and Education Network (NCREN).  The design, construction and operation of the network are estimated to create more than 230 engineering and construction jobs.  In addition, the network has the potential to serve more than 1,500 school and community institutions, 180,000 businesses and more than 300,000 underserved families.”

Who will benefit from this added infrastructure?

“The new fiber build will traverse 37 counties in North Carolina.  Counties in eastern N.C. include: Beaufort, Bladen, Carteret, Columbus, Craven, Cumberland, Edgecombe, Greene, Harnett, Johnston, Nash, New Hanover, Onslow, Pender, Pitt, Robeson, Wake, and Wilson. In the west, counties include: Alexander, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Catawba, Cleveland, Davidson, Davie, Gaston, Haywood, Henderson, Iredell, Jackson, Lincoln, McDowell, Mecklenburg, Polk, Rutherford, and Transylvania.”

Read the entire Press Release: http://www.governor.state.nc.us/NewsItems/PressReleaseDetail.aspx?newsItemID=875