Courtesy of North Carolina Broadband Infrastructure Office
In the eight westernmost counties in the state, much of the population doesn t have access to broadband . Recent data also shows that access to speeds above 25 Mbps are even worse - less than 15 percent in Cherokee, Clay, Graham and Swain Counties.
The broadband gap has become even more apparent during the pandemic as workers and students moved to working from home via the internet.
Now the Federal Communications Commission is offering help to expand access to broadband for some households.
The Emergency Broadband Benefit, provides a $50 discount per month for broadband service, or a $75 discount for homes on tribal land. Those who are eligible can also get up to $100 for a laptop.
While some gas stations across the southeast are running out of gas, North Carolina state leaders are asking you to report unusually high gas prices. As of Monday, the average price of gas per gallon in North Carolina is $2.93, up 20 cents from averages a week ago, according to AAA. Sign up for our Newsletters Click the video player above to watch the most recent coverage of price gouging complaints. “Don’t hoard gas if you don’t need gas right.
While some gas stations across the Southeast are running out of gas, North Carolina state leaders are asking you to report unusually high gas prices. As of Saturday, the average price of gas per gallon in North Carolina is $2.92, up 7 cents from Wednesday, according to AAA. Sign up for our Newsletters “Don’t hoard gas if you don’t need gas right now. Don’t go get it, because you can create a shortage that wouldn’t otherwise exist,” North.
Consumer groundswell calls for end to bank-supported predatory loans
By Charlene Crowell
OCC calls it ‘True Lender’, but coalition says it’s really ‘Fake Lender’
Last October during the throes of the COVID-19 pandemic and its rippling economic downturns, a key federal financial regulator adopted a rule that blesses the “rent-a-bank” scheme where predatory lenders partner with banks to evade state interest rate limits.
Known as the “True Lender” rule, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) gave a green light to predatory lenders. It effectively overrides a string of state laws in almost every state enacted to end abusive payday, car-title, and installment loans with explosive interest rates of more than 100%.