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Swain County broadband committee reports $23 million in grants and 5,811 locations slated for service
Summary
The Swain Broadband Committee updated commissioners on multiple state and federal grants, provider projects (fiber, fixed wireless, and satellite), and a local nonprofit clearinghouse. Committee leads said about $23 million in funding and provider match will reach nearly 5,811 locations; signups and mapping corrections remain outstanding.
The Swain County Broadband Committee briefed the board Sept. 2 on an eight-year effort that committee leaders said has brought roughly $23 million in grants and provider funding to the county and slated 5,811 residences and businesses for high-speed connections.
"We now have $23,000,000 in grants and provider funding and some matches from the county allocated to high-speed broadband," said Julie, a co-leader of the Swain Broadband Committee. The committee told commissioners its projects now include a mix of fiber-to-the-home, fixed wireless and low-earth-orbit satellite deployments.
Committee members described recent awards and implementation status: a federal Connecting Access to Broadband ("CAB") award they said was matched with $200,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funds and is under construction by Zito Media; a second CAB round (CAB 2) also awarded to Zito; a BEAD (Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment) award with a $7 million grant to Cherokee Cablevision (fiber) and an award to an Amazon Project Kuiper contractor for satellite service covering roughly 500 locations.
The presenters said some provider maps contained errors that the committee has worked to correct (they reported identifying 890 mapping mistakes), and they urged residents in grant areas to sign up for service installs (grants cover the install cost but residents must request a connection). The committee also pointed to a local nonprofit, Smoky Mountain TechWorks, as a public clearinghouse with project maps and sign-up links.
Leonard, a committee member, added that Zito has agreed to replace existing coaxial plant with fiber at its own cost in some areas and that earlier fixed-wireless pilots have converted to more fiber deployments. Committee leaders said most work uses utility poles rather than underground conduit, and that permit and pole-attachment processes remain a scheduling factor.
Committee leaders closed by urging commissioners and residents to consult the SmokyMountainTechWorks website for project maps, signup links, and contact information; they said they will continue monthly meetings and monitoring of provider schedules.
No formal commission action was requested at the work session; the presentation served as an update.
