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We’ve all seen it—the traffic slowdowns, convoys of Spectrum vans and bucket trucks, men and women on ladders stringing black boxes and fiber loops onto utility poles along Highway 108 and Highway 9. Then came the spools of fiber-optic wire lying at the roadside, and small numbered tags staked on our properties like tiny flags marking the future.

So, what’s going on? Who gets it? How much will it cost? And what happens to the spaghetti pile of coax cables, antennas, and satellite dishes already clinging to our rooftops and crawling through our basements?

Well, for once, help has arrived—and not just in theory. It’s backed by a real plan, real dollars, and a state-level push to bring gigabit broadband to the most underserved corners of North Carolina.

According to an official press release from Spectrum, the company has been awarded a $4 million grant through North Carolina’s Growing Rural Economies with Access to Technology (GREAT) Program. Combined with $7.8 million in private investment from Spectrum and a $250,000 contribution from Polk County, the total project cost will reach $12 million. The broadband expansion is expected to reach more than 3,500 homes and small businesses across Polk County.

This grant is part of Spectrum’s broader rural initiative, which includes funding from the FCC’s Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF). Combined with the GREAT grant project, Spectrum’s work in Polk County will ultimately connect more than 4,800 homes and small businesses.

And not a moment too soon.

For years, some Polk County residents—especially those living on acreage or tucked miles away from the nearest utility pole—have made do with frustrating patchwork solutions: dishes bolted to rooftops, signal-boosting antennas aimed vaguely at distant mountain ridges, and “broadband” so sluggish it couldn’t stream a two-minute video without buffering.

In my own case, we relied on service that barely limped along. It would stall repeatedly, sending us into endless calls to distant help desks, trying to “resync” our home’s connection to Planet Earth.

So when the Spectrum salesman showed up at our doorstep—cheerful, confident and full of promise—I was skeptical. “No problem!” he said. “These guys are pros. They’ll have you up and running in two shakes of a lamb’s tail.”

Right.

But here’s the kicker: they did.

The installation team arrived and managed to link every building, camera, TV, and computer on the property, spread across a wide piece of land, with surprising efficiency. There were a few prerequisites, mostly involving Smart TVs and clear access to the network box. But the new modems and receivers? Smaller. Faster. Far more powerful than what we had before.

Gone are the thick, outdated coaxial cables that once tunneled through walls and rooftops. In their place: a whisper-thin fiber line, more like a medical filament than a cable—think coronary bypass meets high-speed internet.

Once the outside connections were live, the team helped install apps on each TV, assign new IP addresses and passwords, and just like that: BAM! The internet: fast, stable and ready for work, school, streaming, or all three at once.

Spectrum installation crews are converging on Polk County from across the region, bringing not only experience but also a visible urgency to meet demand. Their pace is impressive, and their coordination is tight.

Of course, there are still a few things to consider.

First, terminating your old internet or satellite service can be tricky. Spectrum claims it may buy out your existing contract if needed, but it’s worth understanding the fine print. Also, although Spectrum states that newly installed fiber lines will be buried within 10 business days, in practice it can sometimes take several weeks. Installers say the exposed cable is “safe to drive over,” but care must still be practiced, especially on gravel, steep driveways or when heavy equipment is involved. And before burying, always call to have utilities properly marked.

Still, these minor inconveniences pale in comparison to the gains. Streaming, gaming, remote work, and Zoom calls are all now part of our rural reality. And for many of us, it’s the first time in years that the words “high-speed internet” aren’t just marketing jargon.

So, if you’re seeing unfamiliar equipment in your yard or a new cable dangling from the utility pole out front, take it as a good sign. After years of feeling left behind, rural Polk County is finally catching up.

And the signal is strong.