Lumos/ARPA Broadband Project

*Dec. 11, 2025 Update*

 Click here to go to the interactive GIS map for the project.

Map Legend:

o Green: Services available

Click this non-interactive map for a larger version.

Map Legend:

o Green: Services available

Area 1 and Area 3 were served under the Sept. 16, 2025 amendment.

Three Vacancies Available for Reconvened Orange County Broadband Task Force

Orange County Approves Amendment to Broadband Expansion Agreement with Lumos Sept. 16, 2025

The Orange County Board of Commissioners approved an amendment to the county’s 2022 broadband deployment agreement with Lumos Fiber (formerly North State Communications Advanced Services, LLC) during its Sept. 16 meeting.

Orange County and Lumos entered into a public-private partnership in April 2022 to bring ultra-high-speed fiber internet service to 6,370 homes and businesses in unserved areas. However, in June 2025, Lumos notified the county that it would fall short of meeting the final benchmark of providing service to 6,370 addresses in order to receive its full incentive payment of $6 million.

In an effort to serve as many homes as possible, the county negotiated an amendment to the original contract. This amendment revises the total number of unserved and underserved homes covered by the project from 6,370 to 5,852, extends the project’s completion deadline to July 1, 2026, and reduces the final incentive payment from $6 million to $5.2 million to represent the proportion of homes that will receive service.

This adjustment reflects construction delays and budgetary challenges Lumos faced in 2024. Under the revised agreement, Lumos will connect all 5,852 homes identified in the updated scope to high-speed, fiber-based broadband by the new deadline. The county’s final payment to Lumos will be tied to the successful completion of this work.

Orange County’s recent broadband amendment will allow approximately 92% of the originally targeted homes to be connected. To address the remaining gaps and advance its commitment to digital equity, the county is working closely with the North Carolina Division of Broadband and Digital Equity to seek further support through the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) and Stop Gap programs, both of which are expected to launch in late 2025.

“We know this news is difficult for the families who are still waiting for reliable internet service,” said Orange County Board of Commissioners Chair Jamezetta Bedford. “While we are disappointed that not every home identified in the original plan can be reached in this phase, we will continue our efforts to bridge the digital divide. This amendment allows us to move forward with connecting additional unserved homes."

Currently 5,187 addresses have been completed. The amendment includes the following details in the new contract:

• 665 addresses that will be served in the amendment  (View addresses )
  
  
• 579 addresses that will not be served in the amendment but will be eligible to receive Stop-Gap funds (View addresses  )
  
  
• 21 addresses that will not be served in the amendment but will be eligible for BEAD funds (View addresses )

A note on construction challenges:  Construction crews have continued to encounter rock formations which have slowed production and resulted in timelines shifting for some areas of the county. Lumos appreciates the patience of impacted residents as we overcome these challenges to deploying our fiber optic network in Orange County.

A note regarding the unserved locations remaining after the Orange County-Lumos partnership: Over the last two years the Federal Communications Commission has released a new broadband availability map which shows availability down to the location (household or business), moving away from mapping that reported broadband availability at the census block level. Since the Orange County-Lumos partnership was signed, a number of examples were found of homes that appeared to be served in the old FCC maps but are now showing as unserved. As a result, some of these addresses were not included in the Request for Proposals Orange County issued in 2022. Some of these homes are located in the Lumos project area and Lumos is including them in their construction; however, approximately 600 homes are outside the current partnership with Lumos.

Bringing service to the remaining 600 locations will require additional grant funds. The Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) program provides funding to every state to expand high-speed internet access. North Carolina was allocated $1.53 billion. The N.C. Department of Information Technology’s (NCDIT) Division of Broadband and Digital Equity will administer the BEAD program and in 2025 it is expected that NCDIT will begin requesting bids from pre-qualified internet service providers. At this time, it is unclear when construction for BEAD projects may begin.

Questions?

Reach out to Orange County Information Technology Director, Robert Reynolds at 919-245-2276 or via email at roreynolds@orangecountync.gov.

Nov. 15 update on private roads and easements

If you live on a private road, please contact Lumos by emailing FiberConstruction@lumosfiber.com. In the subject line of the email, type "Private Road" and your address. A Lumos representative will contact you to determine if a no-cost utility easement is needed for Lumos to provide services on your road. 

Please note that if your address is included in a later phase of the project, a Lumos representative may not be able to immediately respond to you, but Lumos will save your information and contact you as soon as possible.

What happens next?

• In the coming months, you’ll begin seeing Lumos crews in neighborhoods around the area.
• As construction nears in your neighborhood, you’ll receive additional communications on the build process and what to expect. These will come in the form of direct mail notices, door hangers, etc. 
• In the meantime, to make sure you’re one of the first on your street to get reliable, high-speed Internet, head over to www.lumosfiber.com/builtforthefuture to learn more and sign-up to find out when service is available in your area.

Dec. 13 update

BOCC approves agreement with Lumos for "point-of-presence" facility

The Orange County Board of Commissioners approved at its Dec. 13 Business Meeting a license agreement to allow Lumos to install a point-of-presence facility on Orange County property. The facility will house the necessary equipment to operate a fiber network.

Orange County, Lumos to bring ultra-high-speed fiber to Orange County

Orange County and Lumos Fiber (formerly known as North State) entered into a public-private partnership in April 2022 to bring ultra-high-speed fiber internet service to approximately 28,000 homes and businesses in Orange County, including nearly 6,400 locations that previously had little or no internet service. The project, one of the largest fiber infrastructure public-private partnerships in N.C.’s history, is made possible by significant investments from both Lumos and Orange County.

• NorthState merger with Lumos results in name change to Lumos

Orange County is using $10 million in funding from the American Rescue Plan Act to provide fiber service to 6,370 addresses in unserved and underserved areas. Lumos' own investment expands the project and will result in access to best-in-class fiber technology and a competitive choice for fiber service for the additional 21,000 Orange County homes and businesses.

As part of its partnership with Orange County, Lumos will also provide fiber internet service to approximately two dozen county-owned anchor institutions, including fire stations, EMS and community centers.

Service is planned to be available to some areas as early as spring 2023.

“We thank the Orange County Board of Commissioners for selecting Lumos for this crucial community project to help close the digital divide. For those in Orange County who currently have little or no access to fiber internet, this project will be life-changing. It’s simply the fastest internet available,” Lumos CEO Diego Anderson said. “ Lumos and Orange County are jointly making large investments in Orange County by installing a fiber-optic network that is future-proof, one that will fuel continuing growth and expanded economic opportunities.”

Lumos' product offering in Orange County will offer speeds up to 2000 Mbps x 2000 Mbps — equating to 154x faster uploads and 12x faster downloads than traditional cable. Residents in the expansion areas will receive communications by mail before construction begins and again when the service is available to order. Consumers can sign up for email updates at www.lumosfiber.com.

This project is supported by a grant from US Treasury as part of the American Rescue Plan Act Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds award totaling $10 million.