Google Fiber delivers broadband internet on behalf of the search engine giant, and now they are doubling down on service expansions in North Carolina. In 2023, Google expanded its Charlotte service to Concord and Huntersville. Now in 2024, they are focusing on the Triangle and its cornerstone cities Raleigh and Durham, and the town of Chapel Hill.

Google Fiber Coverage

It’s no secret that Google is heavily invested in improving internet coverage worldwide, and Google Fiber is just one way they do that. While wireless internet tech is widespread today, fiber-optic cables remain the fastest way to transmit online data. Google Fiber does this for the US, but other broadband companies do this all over the world. All of that infrastructure is vital for every modern digital application that uses the internet.

Today, we use the internet for a lot more than just communication. It’s also used for work through videoconferencing, and the same tech is used for entertainment in industries like iGaming. For example, streams are used to host a variety of activities controlled by human dealers on sites like the Paddy Power Live Casino, which is based in the UK. While streaming is an increasingly popular way to find online content, it relies on the household having a connection in the first place. Without a working internet connection, basic online services like Google search are inaccessible, along with the services that can be found through it. That’s where the internet service providers come in to lay fiber-optic cables in the areas their clients live.

At present, Google Fiber isn’t accessible abroad. Instead, it serves nearly 40 regions in the contiguous United States with more mainland expansions planned in the future. When they roll out their service, they prioritize the largest metropolitan areas of the country. Now that they are more than a decade into the rollout, the service has made its way to Charlotte and North Carolina at large.

Google’s Long-Held Expansion Plan

For those in the know, this expansion plan is far from new. In 2014, after finishing its first expansion projects in Austin, Texas and Provo, Utah, more expansions were announced for state capitals across the south. Namely, Atlanta, Nashville, and Raleigh were set to receive new fiber networks that will allow residents in these cities to access Google’s internet service. The expansion plan included Durham and Church Hill, which makes up the Research Triangle alongside Raleigh. To cater to more North Carolina citizens, the plans also included Charlotte since it’s the most populous city in the state.

These plans were put on hold in 2016, due to administrative reshuffling within Google Fiber. The expansion resumed in 2022, with the Charlotte expansion starting in late 2023. That leads us to now, where the rest of North Carolina is set to get the same treatment from Google’s infrastructure subsidiary.

Speaking about the renewed expansion efforts, Google Fiber East government and community affairs head Jess George said: “In the past year, we’ve launched construction in Garner and Apex, and Hillsborough just announced. We’ve continued to construct in Raleigh and Durham and have largely completed Morrisville, Cary, Chapel Hill and Carrboro.”

George also revealed that certain projects in The Triangle were slowly being worked on during the expansion pause, “just at a slower pace.” She also added that Google Fiber is wary of how much construction they do in a single area, due to its disruptive nature, so it’s working with local municipalities to spread the burden. Digital equity also played a role in their new expansion plan, as they want to ensure that low-income and infrastructure-starved parts of the state get their opportunity to experience fast fiber-optic internet.

LISC Charlotte announced today it has received a $720,000 commitment from JPMorgan Chase to advance development in Charlotte’s Historic West End (HWE) community. The philanthropic capital will serve residents and small business owners in the Beatties Ford Road corridor by providing access to capital, technical assistance and improving opportunities for underrepresented developers in commercial revitalization.

“We appreciate this meaningful investment made by JPMorgan Chase,” said LISC Charlotte Executive Director Ralphine Caldwell. “They were early investors in the Beatties Ford Road corridor, and their partnership with our organization, grassroots leaders, local government and other private investors speaks to their continued leadership and willingness to respond to the needs of the community.”

Building on existing funding from Knight Foundation, Fifth Third Bank and the City of Charlotte, the investment from JPMorgan Chase will fund commercial stabilization and wealth building strategies for business owners within the HWE. The commitment from JPMorgan Chase allocates $250,000 to the LISC Charlotte Emerging Developer Loan Fund to support developers with commercial, mixed-use, or residential projects. Other focuses of the commitment include:

• Supplying technical assistance to legacy brick-and-mortar businesses;
• Delivering façade improvement resources to businesses; and
• Providing business planning support to a planned, employee-owned food co-op (currently in development).

“JPMorgan Chase is committed to helping Charlotte’s small businesses and entrepreneurs realize their full potential for economic growth and prosperity,” said Suganthi Simon, JPMorgan Chase’s head of Global Philanthropy for the mid-South. “Small businesses are not only the fabric of our nation, they are the foundation of wealth building in historically underserved communities, like the Historic West End. We are proud to stand alongside LISC Charlotte as we continue to help this community thrive.”

LISC Charlotte works with grassroots organizations, small businesses, commercial developers, and community residents to provide lending, grants, and technical and capacity building assistance. LISC Charlotte will leverage the investment from JPMorgan Chase to support existing HWE community development initiatives. The organization has raised more than $60 million since 2019 for community development initiatives and projects in Charlotte.

“My development at 1800 Rozzelles Ferry Road would not have been possible without public and private participation,” said Dianna Ward, co-owner of Sankofa Partners. “Buildings in areas like West Charlotte have the potential to be great community spaces, but upfitting them is sometimes so costly that tenants who are not necessarily adding to the community are selected, versus those who will help neighborhoods to progress. Support from private enterprises allows ordinary people to create extraordinary communities, while maintaining the character of the neighborhood.”

In 2021, Chase opened a branch on Beatties Ford Road in the Historic West End community. In addition, since 2019, the firm has made $6.4 million in philanthropic contributions to nonprofit organizations in the state, including $750,000 awarded to Johnson C. Smith University to support financial services career programs for students. This year alone, the firm has also helped more than 390 small businesses in North Carolina with the capital they need to grow and thrive and provided them with more than 28,000 hours of advice and support.

About LISC 

Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) is a 40-year Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) committed to comprehensive community development, including investing capital and resources into small businesses, economic development, affordable housing, health & safety, sports & recreation, and education, as well as building the capacity of non-profit partners. LISC Charlotte’s economic development strategy focuses on providing resources to minority developers for commercial projects, creating jobs, and supporting small business activity in our target neighborhood, Historic West End. Since opening its office in March 2019, LISC Charlotte has invested over $60 million in Charlotte in partnership with the city, philanthropic leaders, corporations and community organizations. For more, visit www.lisc.org/charlotte.

The Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) is progressing with the third phase of its Gold Line streetcar expansion, a project that aims to significantly extend the existing route. The expansion will stretch the Gold Line to a total of 10 miles and increase the number of stops to 30. A public meeting is scheduled for this week to discuss the project’s final details and gather feedback from the community.

Currently, the Gold Line covers a four-mile stretch, featuring 17 stops from French Street near Johnson C. Smith University to Sunnyside Avenue near Plaza Midwood.

The proposed expansion will extend the route by an additional six miles, adding 17 new stations across both ends of the line.

Here’s a video we took of the Gold Line’s inaugural ride:

Residents and stakeholders are invited to participate in the virtual public meeting to discuss the CATS Gold Line expansion.

The meeting will be held on April 30th at 6 PM via CATS’ YouTube channel here.

North Carolina National Forests officials just a send out an emergency press release urging caution to anyone visiting the Uwharrie National Forest (just East of Charlotte) after yesterday’s coyote attack.

Rangers say the coyote attack happened early Saturday morning on the Uwharrie trail between Lake Tillery and Big Island Creek.

Forest Service and state officials have now joined forces to attempt to locate the coyote or coyotes responsible for the attack.

Encountering coyotes and other wildlife can be a common occurrence when visiting the Uwharrie National Forest, and the results can be unpredictable. For both personal safety and for the protection of wildlife, visitors should follow these basic steps:

Know before you go—contact the District Ranger’s office (open Monday-Friday from 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.) or visit the National Forests in North Carolina’s webpage (www.fs.usda.gov/nfsnc) for the latest alerts and safety information.

Never approach any wildlife, when in the forest. If an animal appears to be in distress, contact the District Ranger’s office or county animal control.

When camping, make sure to secure all food and trash to avoid attracting wildlife. Prepare food at least 100 yards away from sleeping areas.

If you are injured during an unintentional encounter with wildlife, seek immediate medical attention.