Stop-Gap Solutions

The Stop-Gap Solutions program will fund broadband line extension projects to reach individual or small pockets of households or businesses that have not been reached through the Growing Rural Economies with Access to Technology grant or Completing Access to Broadband program. N.C. Session Law 2021-180 appropriates $86 million of federal American Rescue Plan Act funds for the Stop-Gap Solutions program. Eligible locations for the program are published in the Stop-Gap Solutions Planning Tool.  

The program relies on the concept of leveraging and extending nearby infrastructure to make service available so that work may be completed in the timeline available. NCDIT must expend these program funds by Dec. 31, 2026. While matching funds are not required from broadband providers, the provision of match funding will be considered a strength in the evaluation criteria for this scope of work.

If funding remains in the Stop-Gap Solutions program after exhaustion of these uses, we may identify additional eligible uses of the program’s funding.
 

Stop-Gap Solutions Program Eligible Locations and Protest Window


Mapping Protest Process 
We are also opening a protest window through 11:59 p.m. on Jan. 5, 2026.

During this window, a broadband service provider currently providing qualifying broadband service to a location reflected as “unserved” or as “underserved” in the Stop-Gap Solutions Program Planning Tool may submit a protest for that Broadband Serviceable Location (BSL) on the grounds the BSL is served at speeds of 25/3 Mpbs to less than 100/20 Mpbs; or at speeds of 100/20 Mpbs or higher. 

A location is considered “served” if the internet carrier can provide broadband service to a location immediately or within 10 business days upon request and without cost to the customer other than standard connection fees. We will not accept protests based on “planned” service. 

Broadband providers may submit protests of any of the program's eligible locations that they already serve. Protest data must be submitted in the Stop-Gap Solutions program protest data template below.

Protests must contain a written explanation uploaded in conjunction with the template addressing the discrepancy between the FCC’s current Broadband Data Collection availability status and the availability status being reported through this protest process.

Protest data and explanations must be uploaded to the NCBIO Data Exchange. Credentials may be requested at stopgap@nc.gov.


Apply by Jan. 26, 2026

Broadband providers that prequalified through the Broadband Expansion and Access Request for Proposals must submit application materials online as described in the Stop-Gap Solutions Scope of Work by 11:59 p.m. on Jan. 26, 2026.

Application Instructions & Materials

Please review the application instructions in the Scope of Work before applying.  

NC BIO Data Exchange Instructions

Use the Stop-Gap Solutions Application Instructions for NCBIO Data Exchange.

The documents below must be uploaded to the NCBIO Data Exchange folder assigned to your company. These are one-time documents that will not need to be uploaded for each individual project:

  1. Stop-Gap Solutions Response Form A (Company information saved in Adobe PDF format)
  2. Byrd Anti-Lobbying Form
  3. No Overdue Tax Debts
  4. Updated Financial Information (if applicable)
     

Enterprise Business Services (EBS) System Instructions

Use the Instructions for How to Access the Enterprise Business Services (EBS) and the Stop-Gap Solutions Program Application Instructions for EBS.

The documents below must be uploaded to the EBS system for each county for which you are submitting a scope of work response. These documents should provide information specific to the proposed project:

  1. Executed Scope of Work. The full scope of work, including the executed signature page, should be saved in the Adobe PDF format and uploaded as a standalone document. DO NOT submit only the signature page.
  2. Stop-Gap Solutions Project Response Form B (Project information saved in the Adobe PDF format)
  3. Stop-Gap Solutions Proposed Project Locations (Mapping documents: CSV file and county-level project map created by the applicant and saved as a PDF file)
  4. Stop-Gap Solutions Project Budget Template
  5. Key Personnel Form
     

Prequalified Vendors

The following prequalified vendors are eligible to participate in the Stop-Gap Solutions program: 

  • AccessOn Networks, Inc.
  • Atlantic Telephone Membership Cooperative (FOCUS Broadband)
  • BellSouth Telecommunications, LLC (AT&T North Carolina)
  • BalsamWest FiberNET, LLC
  • Blue Ridge Mountain Electric Membership Corporation (BRMEMC)
  • Carolina West Wireless, Inc.
  • Cebridge Acquisition, L.P. (NC CSC, LLC)
  • Cherokee Cablevision, Inc.
  • Citizens Telephone Company (Comporium Communications)
  • CND Acquisition Corporation (The Cable Company)
  • Comcast Cable Communications, LLC (Comcast)
  • Comporium, Inc. (Comporium Communications)
  • Connect Holding II, LLC (Brightspeed)
  • Conterra Ultra Broadband, LLC (Conterra Networks)
  • ERC Broadband, LLC
  • Foothills Broadband, LLC
  • French Broad Electric Membership Corporation
  • Frontier Communications of the Carolinas, LLC
  • HarvestBeam, Inc.
  • LREMC Technologies, LLC
  • MCNC
  • NfinityLink Communications, Inc. (InfinityLink Communications)
  • Northland Cable Television, Inc. (Vyve Broadband)
  • North State Communications Advanced Services, LLC (Lumos)
  • Open Broadband, LLC
  • Open Fiber USA, LLC
  • Randolph Telephone Membership Corporation (Randolph Communications)
  • Wilkes Telephone Membership Corporation (RiverStreet Networks (RSN))
  • Roanoke Connect Holdings, LLC (Fybe)
  • SkyBest Communications, Inc.
  • Skyrunner, Inc.
  • Spectrum Southeast, LLC
  • Star Telephone Membership Corp (Star Communications)
  • StarVision, Inc. (Star Communications)
  • Surry Telephone Membership Corporation (Surry Communications)
  • Ting Fiber, LLC (Ting Internet)
  • Windstream North Carolina, LLC
  • Yadkin Valley Telephone Membership Corporation (Zirrus)
  • ZiTEL
  • Zito West Holding, LLC (Zito Media)
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