Murphy Cable to expand broadband in county

    Murphy – Cherokee County residents may soon see advertisements touting broadband expansion.
    “It’s a wonderful thing,” County Manager Randy Wiggins said. “It’s been a long time coming, and we’re looking forward to it.”
    Murphy Cable TV received grant funds to expand broadband access in Cherokee County through the Growing Rural Economies with Access to Technology Program. The company plans to expand broadband service to the Wolf Creek area, Marrestop Road, Orton Road, Old Culberson Road and Johnsonville Road.
    Murphy Cable TV proposed to spend $1,647,000 to expand broadband service to 543 homes that are underserved today. The company received $1,152,900 in grant money and must match the award with $494,100 of its own funds. The cost per household for this project is $3,033.15.
    “It’s so exciting to be able to do this, especially right now with all of our school kids studying from home,” newly elected Commissioner Jan Griggs told the Cherokee Scout.
    Blue Ridge Mountain Electric Membership Corp. applied for GREAT Grant funds to expand service in Cherokee County as well. However, state officials only provided the company $1,271,533.55 in grant funds to expand to remote and underserved areas within the Pine Log community of Clay County. The company must match the award with $544,942.95.
    Gov. Roy Cooper announced Thursday that a total of $29.8 million will be awarded to 11 providers and cooperatives for broadband expansion projects in 18 counties. Cooper signed legislation earlier this year that allocated $30 million in federal coronavirus relief funding to the GREAT Grant Program. However, updated U.S. Treasury guidance held up the funds because of questions regarding whether broadband projects funded through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief & Economic Security Act had to be completed before the Dec. 30 deadline.
    State lawmakers recently agreed to redirect the $30 million allocated to the GREAT Grant Program to other eligible expenses that would have been paid through the General Fund. The General Assembly will vote on a bill early next year to appropriate the freed up $30 million from the General Fund to the GREAT Grant Program.
    Murphy Cable TV’s application says it would have been “economically unfeasible” to expand broadband in the aforementioned areas in Cherokee County had it not been for grant funding.
    “These areas already have a lack of cell phone service, causing issues for students, businesses and residents in the area,” the application says. “The issues were exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, making it even more difficult to complete homework assignments, work remotely, or communicate with essential services, such as unemployment or business relief programs.”
    Today, all of the aforementioned census blocks in Cherokee County receive less than 10 megabits per second download speed and 1 megabit per second upload speed, according to the most recent Federal Communications Commission maps.
    Officials say that providing connectivity to those areas would not only level the playing field for students, but also enhance the economic opportunities for the travel corridor between Murphy and Chattanooga, Tenn.
    Cherokee County ranks 92nd out of 100 North Carolina counties for broadband availability and quality, according to the N.C. Department of Information Technology. Moreover, 19.36 percent of residents only have access to a digital subscriber line for internet service, while 9.35 percent have no internet at all.
    In a 2017 survey conducted by the Southwestern Commission, 78 percent of Cherokee County respondents said their internet speed did not meet their needs. In addition, 76 percent said at least one person in their household would take online classes if they had sufficient internet speeds to do so. Fifty-five percent of respondents said they would telecommute or start a business if they had quality, affordable internet service.
    “For the folks that are not getting [broadband expansion] this time, we’re not done,” Griggs said. “We’ll keep [working with provider companies] to get more grant money.”
    According to state data, at least 28.71 percent of the county’s population has download speeds less than 25 megabits per second and upload speeds less than 3 megabits per second. Murphy Cable TV’s application says the company will offer a 250 Mbps download and 20 Mbps upload speed data package by the end of the construction phase.