Orange County Expands Broadband Access to Additional Unserved Households Through Lumos Partnership

The Orange County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) has approved an amendment to its broadband deployment agreement with Lumos, investing the remaining $800,000 in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding to extend high-speed internet service to an additional 105 unserved households across the county.

The amendment builds upon the county’s 2022 Network Development Agreement with Lumos, which was established to expand broadband infrastructure to thousands of residents lacking reliable internet access. Through the original agreement, Lumos completed broadband infrastructure serving 5,859 locations throughout Orange County.

Since the agreement was executed, the county’s Broadband Task Force has monitored additional broadband investments through North Carolina’s Stop Gap Program and the federal Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program. These initiatives will extend service to hundreds of additional unserved locations, including some that were not part of the original Lumos project area.

Despite these investments, approximately 198 households in Orange County remain without access to broadband service.

To address this gap, the Broadband Task Force recommended using the county’s remaining ARPA broadband funds to target the most densely populated unserved areas and maximize the impact of the available funding. Working with Lumos, county staff identified two unserved service areas, known as Polygons 82 and 83, that contain a total of 105 locations.

Under the approved amendment, Lumos will extend broadband infrastructure into these two areas, increasing the total number of locations served under the county’s agreement from 5,859 to 5,964 locations. This represents approximately 93.6 percent of the 6,370 locations included in the original contract scope.

The amended agreement establishes three performance-based payment milestones for the $800,000 investment:

• $300,000 upon installation of conduit infrastructure in Polygon 82;
• $300,000 upon installation of conduit infrastructure in Polygon 83; and
• $200,000 upon final project completion when broadband service is available in both areas.

Construction and service activation for the additional locations must be completed by Nov. 1, 2026, ensuring compliance with federal ARPA requirements that all funded work and expenditures be completed by Dec. 31, 2026.

The broadband expansion reflects Orange County’s ongoing commitment to improving digital access and ensuring residents have the connectivity needed to participate fully in today’s economy and society.

Visit Orangecountync.gov/Broadband for more information about the Lumos/ARPA Broadband Project.