The U.S. Department of Commerce announced today that it is backing North Carolina’s Golden LEAF Rural Broadband Initiative with a grant of $75.75 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds. This round of funding is the second this year that is dedicated to expanding high-speed connectivity to rural areas primarily in western North Carolina. MCNC, an independent non-profit organization that has managed the project to date, will add approximately 1,300 miles of new middle-mile fiber throughout the state under this latest award. This rural connectivity will allow citizens in many under served rural communities to connect to the Internet. Read the full story here