North Carolina Launches $1 Million Satellite Grant to Harden Broadband Against Disasters
North Carolina is funding backup satellite internet for firefighters, emergency centers, and community hubs
WASHINGTON, Sept. 14, 2026 - North Carolina is putting $1 million behind satellite backup connections to keep government and community services online when storms knock out traditional broadband.
The North Carolina Department of Information Technology (NCDIT) announced the new Broadband Satellite Resiliency Grant on September 10, 2026, offering funding for “resilience in a box” satellite kits that provide emergency internet redundancy for public institutions and anchor organizations.
NCDIT Secretary and State CIO Nate Denny tied the initiative directly to lessons learned from Hurricane Helene, which left large parts of western North Carolina without communications for days or weeks. “Hurricane Helene underscored the consequences of losing communication when it matters most,” Denny said. “The low-Earth orbit satellites provided through this program offer continuity and a lifeline for North Carolinians as we continue into this hurricane season.”
The goal is to ensure that institutions can maintain secure, dependable connectivity when fiber, cable, or wireless networks fail during emergencies.
The Broadband Satellite Resiliency Grant will fund satellite internet equipment and installation for eligible organizations, including state agencies, local governments, volunteer fire departments, and community anchor institutions such as schools, libraries, community colleges, and community centers, giving them secure, dependable backup connectivity. The program is financed with state funds appropriated through the Growing Rural Economies with Access to Technology (GREAT) initiative.
The satellite kits are intended as backup, not primary service, giving emergency operations centers, fire departments, and community shelters an independent path to the internet when terrestrial infrastructure is damaged or overloaded.
While applications are open statewide, priority will go to organizations in the 39 counties designated in the Hurricane Helene federal disaster area, including Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Cabarrus, Caldwell, Catawba, Cherokee, Clay, Cleveland, Forsyth, Gaston, Graham, Haywood, Henderson, Iredell, Jackson, Lee, Lincoln, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mecklenburg, Mitchell, Nash, Polk, Rowan, Rutherford, Stanly, Surry, Swain, Transylvania, Union, Watauga, Wilkes, Yadkin, and Yancey (including the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians) counties.
