ABOUT ERC Broadband

ERC Broadband is Western North Carolina’s community carrier network.

Offering Fiber-Based Network Services

ERC provides fiber-based network services to the Western Carolina region. Our fiber optic network allows us to provide fast, reliable, and secure services to our clients in multiple locations.

We Are Locally Focused

We are a locally focused community network that works in the areas of education, healthcare, government, carrier services and economic development.

Promoting Technology

ERC’s goal is to promote the adoption of new technologies in order to advance the growth of the broader community.

2002

The “Broadband Project” was initiated by former Congressman Charles H. Taylor, whom identified a need to expand western North Carolina’s technology-focused infrastructure. This was the seed that was planted and later became known as “ERC Broadband”.

FEBRUARY 2003

Construction began of a regional fiber optic network, which was designed to serve public, private and non-profit concerns, and community anchor institutions by providing similar broadband access available in larger cities while promoting the growth of the technological infrastructure in the region.

APRIL 2003

The ERC Broadband opens its first Point of Presence (PoP), in Asheville, North Carolina; and begins offering Internet service locally.

FEBRUARY 2005

e-NC and ERC Broadband, though its then-parent organization, Education and Research Consortium of the Western Carolinas, partners with AdvantageWest to utilize a grant from the Rural Internet Access Authority to extend the network into Madison, Yancey, and Mitchell counties.

JULY 2013

ERC Broadband completes a multi-ring regional backbone network, spanning most of Western North Carolina.

2016

ERC Broadband completes its wide-area-network spanning from DC-Metro to Atlanta, to bring resilient world-class peerings and connectivity to Western North Carolina.