Tucked into North Carolina’s Smoky Mountains, Graham County has long wrestled with inadequate internet access. Winding roads, dense forest, and scattered homes make broadband deployment difficult and expensive, leaving many in Graham County without reliable service and few economic opportunities.

In Robbinsville, the main business district and county seat, “Cash Only” signs have become a common sight as internet outages take payment systems offline. Many households pay for service from two or more providers at the same time, hoping one works when the other fails. And in parts of the county — especially around Lake Santeetlah and along mountain ridgelines — there’s no service at all.

It was this lack of dependable, affordable connectivity that led the Graham Revitalization Economic Action Team (G.R.E.A.T.) to join Connect Humanity’s Appalachia Digital Accelerator in late 2023.

Building plans, driving momentum

G.R.E.A.T. — led by Michelle Shiplet and Kevin Brown — moved quickly to reconvene the county’s broadband committee, and, with support from the Southwestern Commission Council of Governments, developed a plan to deliver fiber-to-the-premise across Graham County. The strategy begins in Robbinsville, prioritizing business corridors and community anchor institutions, and expands outward in phases to reach residents with the digital infrastructure needed for business development, remote work, and education.

Affordability is a cornerstone of this strategy, with a focus on keeping subscription costs down and cutting expensive installation fees that have made connectivity inaccessible for many local businesses and families.

A breakthrough came when Kevin and the team successfully challenged inaccurate federal broadband maps. Hundreds of homes and businesses that had been marked as “served” were reclassified, becoming eligible for support under the federal BEAD (Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment) program.

“Before the challenge process, nearly all of this area was considered served. Now it’s recognized for what it is — deeply underserved,” Kevin explained.

Infrastructure on the move

More progress followed. One of the area’s main providers has now committed to bringing fiber to every location it currently serves with cable. Construction began, somewhat unexpectedly, in remote parts of the county. The provider has now told Kevin that Robbinsville is the next priority, with fiber delivery there projected to finish by the end of 2025, funded in part by the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF).

With North Carolina expected to announce BEAD funding later this year, G.R.E.A.T. hopes the county can secure up to $8.5 million more — enough to reach every address in its broadband plan. That could mean comprehensive coverage within the next few years.

Still, there are concerns. Updated BEAD rules could lead states to redirect funding to low earth orbit (LEO) providers at the expense of fiber. “Starlink is not infrastructure,” Kevin says. While he acknowledges LEO is a useful addition in hard-to-reach places (and uses Starlink at home), he’s adamant about the long-term solution to support Graham County’s economic development:

“So much broadband technology is going to be in the garbage in 50 years,” Kevin said. “But not fiber. Fiber is so expandable, so robust — it’s the only thing that’s going to stand the test of time.”

Digital adoption is not an afterthought

Connectivity is only part of the equation. Graham County is also investing in adoption — ensuring residents can use the internet once it’s available. Kevin leads digital literacy classes at Robbinsville’s Five Point Center, focusing especially on seniors. Some students are learning how to use a mouse. Others are comparison shopping or using AI tools to research everything from medical questions to religious texts.

“I’ve had students who didn’t even know what a computer is,” Kevin said. “Now they’re coming to class, turning on the devices, browsing, shopping, learning. It opens up their world.”

These classes are currently funded through Dogwood Health Trust, but, like many community services, they face funding uncertainty. Halted funding for the state’s Healthy Opportunity Pilots (HOP) program has already stalled plans to move into a new building. Other digital inclusion grants have been paused or cut altogether.

“We built a brand-new building to support this work,” Kevin said. “We hadn’t even moved in before funding was suspended.”

What’s at Stake

It’s a sharp contrast. On one hand, a fiber network within reach; on the other, shrinking support for the people and programs needed to make it useful.

G.R.E.A.T.’s work through the Appalachia Digital Accelerator shows what’s possible when local leaders have the tools to drive change. With the right investment, Graham County could become a model for rural broadband, combining infrastructure with real-world impact.

But sustaining that vision will require continued investment in people, skills, and trust.

“It’s simple,” Kevin said. “We need, internet that works, and people who know how to use it. It’s great to see what we have been working hard for all these years come to pass. But we need to keep going and cross the finish line.”

This blog post is based on a conversation between G.R.E.A.T.’s Kevin Brown and Connect Humanity’s Calum Cameron