The Orange County Board of Commissioners has approved a contract to develop broadband infrastructure for unserved or underserved residents in rural areas.

Open Broadband, LLC will be servicing the 36-month pilot project, which will serve almost 5,000 resident address points in the county.

Many residents of rural Orange County still rely on DSL for internet, which chair of the Orange County Board of Commissioners Mark Dorosin calls a huge impediment for businesses, economic development and education.

“It’s really impossible to understate what a critical element of our modern infrastructure broadband internet is,” says Dorosin. “If you live in one of the urbanized areas of Orange County, or really any of the urbanized areas of the state, its not an issue. You’re served by at least one and often have multiple internet service providers that can provide broadband access.”

The pilot program will cost $500,000 spread across four different service areas, and if successful, could be expanded even further throughout the county.

“The state legislature has put limits on what local governments can do on their own, really very tight restrictions on that,” Dorosin says. “So, we’ve been trying to find public-private partnerships but corporations don’t want to extend the infrastructure if there aren’t enough customers to subscribe.”

Dorosin says he has seen support across the community in response to the county’s commitment to this project.

“In the six years I’ve been a county commissioner, I think it’s one of the few issues where every single comment I got from anybody – email, phone call, people talking to me in the grocery store – was enthusiastically positive.”

The county approved the contract at their September 4 meeting. More information on the project is available here.

Related Stories
‹
Schools, Broadband Among Orange County Priorities for Legislative Session
The North Carolina General Assembly is set to come back into session soon, and Orange County officials will be keeping a close eye on several priorities. While lawmakers were in Raleigh for ceremonial events earlier this month, the bulk of the work will be carried out in the months to come. Chair of the Orange […]
Orange County Asking Barn of Chapel Hill Complaints be Consolidated
The Orange County Board of Commissioners has issued a statement on court cases involving the Barn of Chapel Hill. There are currently four similar appeals pending before the Orange County Superior Court regarding the barn operating as an event space brought on by neighbors of the property, according to the county. The board has requested […]
Orange County Makes Efforts to Improve Broadband in Rural Parts of County
Orange County is requesting proposals from broadband providers interested in improving service in rural parts of the county. Orange County Information Technologies was tasked with working to improve broadband technology and access for Orange County residents in 2014. Orange County chief information officer Jim Northrup updated the Board of County Commissioners last week on initiatives […]
No Alteration for Orange County Commissioner Elections on the Horizon
Editor’s Note: The headline of this article has been changed from “Orange County Commissioners Looking Into Changing How District Vote” to the current headline. The reason for the change was to correct any implication that the matter was set to come before the board in the near future. While it has been discussed during a […]
Orange County Commissioners to Adopt Recommended Budget for New Fiscal Year
The Orange County Board of Commissioners will convene this evening to vote on spending nearly $220 million over the course of the next fiscal year. That figure represents the estimated expenditures in a proposed budget recommended by Orange County Manager Bonnie Hammersley for board member approval. Those expenditures were briefed to board members last week […]
Orange County Commissioners Approve Funding for Five Affordable Housing Projects
The Orange County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously on Tuesday to split over $2.7 million between five local affordable housing projects. Portions of that sum are being granted to Habitat for Humanity, CASA, and EmPOWERment Inc. for the construction of low-income domiciles. Habitat for Humanity will receive over $915,000 to build 24 owner-occupied townhouses for […]
Orange County Commissioners Discuss Policies at Retreat
The Orange County Board of Commissioners held a retreat last weekend at Rigmore House in Chapel Hill to discuss local policies as they relate to the current political climate. Mark Dorosin, the chair of the board, said the retreat was held with the future of the county and the wherewithal of the municipal government in […]
EXCLUSIVE: Karen Stegman Announces Campaign for Orange County Commissioner Seat
Chapel Hill native and former town council member Karen Stegman plans to run for the Board of Orange County Commissioners in 2026.
Orange County Commissioner Sally Greene Will Not Run for Re-election in 2026
Sally Greene posted on her Facebook page Monday afternoon she plans to depart the Board of Orange County Commissioners next winter, opening up an at-large seat in the 2026 election.
Orange County to Host Emergency Food Distributions This Weekend for Local SNAP Recipients
For residents who rely on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, Orange county will host food distributions this weekend.
›