The target of eNCore, a joint venture announced today by MCNC and Fybe, is to provide service to the residential and business communities of rural North Carolina.
MCNC says that it is among the oldest and largest research and education networks in the country. Fybe is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Roanoke Cooperative, an electric provider.
Fybe Chief Operating Officer Bo Coughlin told Telecompetitor that the new entity will work with power grid and telecommunications entities.
“The genesis of Fybe is cooperative-based and a significant portion of un/der served reside within the boundaries of EMCs [electric membership cooperatives],” Coughlin told Telecompetitor.
“Hardening the power grid and creating efficiencies, as well as providing additional levels of security for their infrastructure that leverage broadband is another benefit. We also seek to work with TMCs [telecom membership cooperatives] — not overbuilding. EMCs are a great target, but we look forward to collaborating with any similar providers wherever possible.”
MCNC CMO Jim Nester told Telecompetitor that the goal is for eNCore to stimulate economic and social growth, job creation, and community development throughout North Carolina.
MCNC President and CEO Tracy Doaks said, in the announcement, “As a nonprofit, eNCore and its member organizations will provide essential broadband infrastructure and services to empower businesses and individuals to ensure no community gets left behind.”
eNCore is just one example of ambitious growth plans in North Carolina.
In late November, North Carolina began accepting applications for broadband funding to cover some costs related to deploying fiber to unserved and underserved rural areas of the state. A spokesperson for the North Carolina Department of Information Technology (NCDIT) Division of Broadband and Equity confirmed that the state has about $282 million available to award.
The next month, NCDIT released scope of work (SOW) information for 67,724 locations in 37 counties in the state.
