Network Expansion Will Help Boost Speeds, Enhance Customer Experience and Improve Public Safety Connectivity
On May 22, representatives from AT&T, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), and the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet Authority) joined local community leaders and first responders in the Town of Lake Lure to highlight investments in modern connectivity and resiliency.
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr and NTIA Associate Administrator Michael Dame joined representatives from the Town of Lake Lure, the FirstNet Authority and AT&T to celebrate a new cell site and new AT&T Fiber availability in Lake Lure.
As Lake Lure and the surrounding communities continue to recover and rebuild after Hurricane Helene, new connectivity options will help deliver a resilient network that residents, businesses and first responders on FirstNet® can rely on.
The new cell site in the area boosts coverage along Highway 74 and Broad River. AT&T Fiber is also now available to more than 340 new residential and business locations in the Lake Lure area. This is in addition to the nearly 200 customer locations that already have access to AT&T Fiber.
What They’re Saying:
Brendan Carr, Chairman, Federal Communications Commission
“I want to thank the telecom crews that have worked hard to build, restore, and expand service following Hurricane Helene. Investing in modern communications infrastructure is key to strengthening America’s communities and supporting long-term growth. AT&T’s investment in fiber and wireless infrastructure in Lake Lure will help enhance connectivity in the area and support the region’s continued recovery and resilience.”
Arielle Roth, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information and NTIA Administrator
“When devastating storms like Hurricane Helene strike, Americans rely on first responders to answer the call and save lives. This new cell tower reflects FirstNet's commitment to ensuring first responders have the reliable connectivity they need during emergencies. Thanks to the additional $2 billion in value for public safety secured by Secretary Lutnick earlier this year, we expect to see more coverage enhancements like this across the country. Congratulations to the Lake Lure community on its extraordinary recovery efforts."
Michael Cannon, Executive Director and CEO, First Responder Network Authority
“The FirstNet Authority is proud to stand alongside the brave and resilient communities of western North Carolina. We will continue to deliver on our promise to public safety in the region, bringing them the coverage, capacity, and reliability they need to keep residents and visitors safe throughout the Lake Lure area.”
Carol Pritchett, Mayor, Town of Lake Lure
“For rural and remote communities like ours, reliable connectivity is essential infrastructure. It strengthens public safety communications, supports education and telehealth, and powers economic opportunity. We appreciate AT&T’s continued investment in the Lake Lure community with new wireless infrastructure and expanded AT&T Fiber availability. These investments will help provide residents, public safety, businesses and visitors with enhanced connectivity and opportunity – opportunity for innovation, improved emergency response, economic development, and a stronger future for our community.”
U.S. Senator Ted Budd
“As Western North Carolina communities work to recover and rebuild, AT&T’s continued investment in Lake Lure will help strengthen connectivity, support economic recovery, and advance public safety through FirstNet’s dedicated capabilities for first responders.”
Trey Rabon, President, AT&T North Carolina
“At AT&T, we are proud to invest in modern, resilient communications infrastructure that helps North Carolina communities stay connected. By expanding AT&T Fiber, enhancing wireless coverage and supporting public safety on FirstNet, we are helping deliver the modern connectivity Lake Lure’s residents, visitors and first responders rely on today and in the future.”
AT&T 5G now reaches more than 315 million people in over 26,900 cities and towns nationwide, including Lake Lure. This helps residents and businesses experience fast, reliable, and secure connections wherever they live, work, or play.
Customers are increasingly seeking one provider who can seamlessly connect them anytime, anywhere. As America’s largest fiber provider with the best and fastest home internet, and with North America’s largest wireless network, we are leading the way in offering world-class converged connectivity to more customers than anyone else.
The new cell site also supports first responders and the extended public safety community on FirstNet, Built with AT&T – America’s public safety network. This new site gives first responders always-on priority and preemption across all of AT&T’s commercial spectrum bands and also brings Band 14 spectrum to the area. Band 14 is nationwide, high-quality spectrum set aside by the government specifically for FirstNet. We look at Band 14 as public safety’s VIP lane, delivering dedicated connectivity when needed. When not in use by FirstNet subscribers, AT&T customers can enjoy Band 14’s added coverage and capacity.
Created by the U.S. Congress, FirstNet was shaped by the first responder community’s vision following the 9/11 terrorist attacks. It is built with AT&T in public-private partnership with the FirstNet Authority – an agency within the federal government.
During the event, attendees had a first-hand look at a Satellite Cell on Light Truck (SatCOLT) from the dedicated FirstNet fleet of over 190 deployable network assets, exclusively available to support public safety on FirstNet at no additional cost. The FirstNet Response Operations Group™ (ROG) – led by a team of former first responders – guides the deployment of the FirstNet fleet.
With more than 760 localities in North Carolina where first responders and public safety agencies rely on FirstNet, the service is critical to public safety across the state. Significant investments have also recently been made in North Carolina to improve and enhance connectivity for first responders subscribed to FirstNet. Today, nearly 2,100 wireless sites across the state have Band 14 spectrum.
From 2021 to 2025, AT&T invested more than $3.2 billion in its wireless and wireline networks in North Carolina. These investments boost reliability, coverage, speed and overall performance for residents and their businesses.
