The Education and Research Consortium of the Western Carolinas (“ERC”, also known as “ERC Broadband”) has selected Skyrunner as the awardee of its Request for Proposal (“RFP”) to expand broadband in the Fines Creek and Crabtree communities in Haywood County.
This award is pursuant to funding received by the Appalachian Regional Commission (“ARC”).
Skyrunner’s President J.J. Boyd said, “We are happy to be working with the ERC to provide meaningful broadband internet access to Haywood County while helping to close the digital divide within Haywood County communities.”
The creation and evaluation of the RFP was done in partnership with the Southwestern Commission Council of Governments and Haywood County.
“The Haywood County Broadband Committee worked closely with the ERC and the Fines Creek and Crabtree communities to identify unserved and underserved households and businesses, and helped write and evaluate the RFP. This project will provide broadband access to several hundred customers and will help to spur economic activity and growth in Haywood County,” said Deborah Porto, Chair of the Broadband Committee.
The ERC has been a long-serving broadband and technology advocate for Western North Carolina. “This award is a great testament to the ERC’s ability to partner with groups across western North Carolina to support rural access to adequate broadband,” said Hunter Goosmann, Executive Director and CEO of the ERC. “And we are proud to continue our long partnership with Skyrunner.”