This grant provides funding to The North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics Foundation (NCSSM) to fund last-mile broadband infrastructure for its Morganton campus. The Morganton campus, which is expected to open in 2021, will serve 300 additional NCSSM students once it reaches full enrollment and will employ approximately 100 faculty and staff. The school is expected to have a $12 million annual economic impact on the surrounding community. The requested broadband infrastructure will serve the NCSSM campus and be available to extend to other tenants, public and private, within the adjacent planned Broughton District economic development zone. The infrastructure will also be strategically located to maximize connectivity for Western Piedmont Community College and the North Carolina School for the Deaf. The State of North Carolina has provided $73 million for the new NCSSM campus, but that funding does not cover the cost of this broadband infrastructure.
