Pilot broadband cost overrun grant

This federal Project Grant award of $5,061,979.00 was provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Utilities Service through the Distance Learning and Telemedicine (DLT) Loans and Grants program (CFDA 10.855) on November 22, 2023. The grant recipient, Atlantic Telephone Membership Corp doing business as Focus Broadband, is a non-profit organization focused on delivering flexible and reliable fiber optic broadband, telecommunications, and related services to rural communities in North Carolina. This specific award is to address cost overruns and further expand Focus Broadband's network to improve broadband access and enable distance learning and telemedicine capabilities in the rural town of Shallotte, North Carolina. Since 2019, Focus Broadband has received over $61M in DLT grant funding from the USDA to support broadband infrastructure, distance learning, and remote healthcare services in underserved rural areas. The organization has also received federal contract awards and sub-awards for disaster recovery efforts.