CATAWBA COUNTY, N.C. — North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper visited two fiber optic plants in Catawba County Wednesday, including one that is adding hundreds of jobs in Hickory.
The governor, along with U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, toured the new manufacturing campus for Corning Optical Communications. It will add 400 advanced manufacturing jobs to produce fiber optic cable.
The governor said the state, with help from the federal government, hopes to invest $2 billion to bring high-speed broadband to rural communities.
“I think that’s why everybody’s so excited, because it is going to help us with education, it’s going to help us with people who are now using telemedicine to get healthcare, it’s going to help small businesses now that can’t connect with global markets,” Cooper said.
Corning employs nearly 5,000 people across North Carolina and is one of the largest producers of fiber optic cable.
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