Columbus County, NC – FOCUS Broadband announced this week that the company completed its third state-funded grant project in Columbus County. This project was made possible through a $2.4 million dollar grant awarded in 2020 through the Growing Rural Economies through Access to Technology (GREAT) Grant Program Special Supplementary Round and follows a 2019 GREAT Grant project in the Beaverdam community and a separate 2020 GREAT Grant project in Fair Bluff.

FOCUS Broadband contributed more than $1 million dollars in matching funds to bring service to these rural communities. With the completion of this grant, more than 1,600 residents and businesses in portions of western Columbus County and north Whiteville can now enjoy the benefits of fiber optic internet with speeds up to 1Gig.

“We are very excited to have completed another GREAT Grant project in Columbus County,” commented Keith Holden, FOCUS Broadband CEO. “This is the fourth grant funded broadband project we’ve completed in the county going back to 2010, and they have made an incredible difference. We are so appreciative to NC DIT, Governor Cooper and Columbus County representatives for continuing to make rural broadband a priority.”

While this project is complete, FOCUS Broadband has several additional broadband projects underway, and projects slated to begin in the coming weeks. In 2019, FOCUS Broadband won a broadband grant through the US Department of Agriculture’s ReConnect Broadband grant program. This $16 million dollar project has made high-speed internet available to thousands of homes throughout the county and should be completed this summer. FOCUS Broadband will also soon begin a new $5.6 million project funded through a partnership between FOCUS Broadband, Columbus County government and the NC GREAT grant program that will bring fiber optic high-speed internet services to the Riegelwood and Delco communities in eastern Columbus County.

Since 2010, FOCUS Broadband has won more than $50 million in grant funding to serve over 12,000 homes and businesses in Columbus County. In addition, FOCUS Broadband has invested more than $20 million dollars to bring fiber optic services to rural communities throughout Columbus County.

To find out where FOCUS Broadband service is available in Columbus County, visit www.fastercolumbus.com. Residents and businesses interested in signing up for FOCUS Broadband service can call 888-367-2862 to speak to a customer care representative.