AN ACT to AUTHORIZE nash county to provide grants to promote broadband in unserved areas for economic development in the county.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

SECTION 1.  A county may provide grants to unaffiliated providers of high­speed Internet broadband for the purpose of expanding service in unserved areas for economic development in the county. The grants shall be awarded on a technology neutral basis, shall be open to qualified applicants, and may require matching funds by the private provider. The county shall use only unrestricted general fund revenue for the grants.
SECTION 2.  Nothing in this act authorizes a county to provide high­speed Internet broadband service.
SECTION 3.  This act applies only to Nash County.
SECTION 4.  This act is effective when it becomes law.
In the General Assembly read three times and ratified this the 16th day of June, 2011.

	s/	 Walter H. Dalton
	 President of the Senate

	s/	 Thom Tillis
	 Speaker of the House of Representatives