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."
Visit Orangecountync.gov/Broadband for more information about the broadband project.
