SALISBURY — Typically, right-of-way encroachments for tasks such as fiber-optic installation are held on the Salisbury City Council’s consent agenda. However, Manager Jim Greene Jr. asked for an encroachment request for nonprofit MCNC’s HERO project to be put on the regular agenda so that the council could discuss the statewide project.
The HERO, which stands for High-speed Economies for Rural Opportunity, project is a federally-funded project that aims to extend its fiber-optic network, the North Carolina Research and Education Network, by 209 miles. The extensions would follow two routes, from Albemarle to Winston-Salem and from Sanford to Jacksonville. The project plans to bring broadband access and greater affordability to 11 counties, which according to MCNC include 16,000 unserved and 12,000 underserved housing units.
“This is a project that is all about bringing connectivity to overlooked unserved and underserved residents across North Carolina,” said James Nester, MCNC chief marketing officer and director of client advocacy…