Working for Stronger Communities Across the Ninth District

Dear friend,

One of the most important parts of my job is talking to folks across our district and hearing directly from you about where federal resources, policies, and action can make a difference. 

Over the past several weeks, I have met with cell-service providers, business and community leaders, veterans, and local employers. Those conversations are already producing results.

Folks in Moore County have told me loud and clear they need better cell service.

Weak signals and dropped calls are more than an inconvenience. They can keep a small business from processing a payment, prevent families from staying connected, and make it harder to reach help during an emergency.

Just last week, AT&T announced a new roaming agreement that expands wireless coverage into parts of Moore County where the company previously didn’t provide service. The agreement will benefit AT&T customers and FirstNet subscribers, including first responders who rely on the network during emergencies.

This progress came just weeks after I brought AT&T officials to Moore County to discuss the areas where residents, businesses and visitors continue to experience unreliable service. I made it clear I wanted the major providers on the ground, seeing these problems firsthand, and working with us on solutions.

We have also seen results from my work with Verizon.

In July, I brought Verizon officials to Moore County with Southern Pines Mayor Taylor Clement. We toured a small cell site in Aberdeen, discussed problem areas in downtown Southern Pines, and visited a cell tower near Moore County Airport.

A few weeks later, Verizon activated the site near the airport, improving service for customers in the surrounding area.

As chairman of the House Communications and Technology Subcommittee, I’ve found myself in a unique position to bring service providers to the table to ensure they hear directly from our community. I appreciate AT&T and Verizon responding to the communities’ concerns, but this work isn’t finished.

I will keep working with every major provider until folks across Moore County and the entire Ninth District have the reliable service they deserve.

Reliable cell service is one part of keeping our communities strong. Reliable, affordable power is another.

I recently visited my alma mater, UNC Charlotte, to celebrate the Carolinas Grid Engine, a major investment I helped secure to strengthen our electric grid and support new jobs across the Carolinas.

The project will receive $15 million over its first two years, with the potential for up to $160 million over the next decade. It will help move new technology into use, improve grid reliability, and keep energy costs down.

After the 2022 substation attack left tens of thousands of people in Moore County without power, I know how important this work is. A stronger grid will help protect our communities and give North Carolina businesses the reliable power they need to grow.

That same focus on jobs and economic growth brought me to Fayetteville.

At the Greater Fayetteville Chamber’s State of the Community event, I spoke with hundreds of business, military, government, education, health care and community leaders about how we can keep the region growing.

Fayetteville is home to hardworking families, small businesses, and one of the most important military communities in the country. The soldiers and families at Fort Bragg are also our neighbors, customers, coaches, and friends. They attend church here, send their children to school here and build their lives here.

When Fort Bragg is strong, Fayetteville is strong.

That’s why I secured $140.4 million in project authorizations for Fort Bragg and North Carolina through the House-passed National Defense Authorization Act.

I also helped secure $50 million for a Special Operations Forces training facility, $31 million for an aircraft maintenance hangar, and $10.5 million for backup power at Fort Bragg.

Those can sound like numbers in a big Washington bill. Around here, they mean better training, safer facilities, and troops who are prepared to complete their missions and come home safely, creating an overall better lifestyle and comfort for the families these soldiers leave at home.

As Fort Bragg’s Congressman, representing these servicemembers and their families is the highest honor of my time in Congress. I will continue working to get these priorities across the finish line.

Our responsibility to servicemembers doesn’t end when the uniform comes off.

When people leave Fort Bragg, I want them to build their next chapter right here in our community. Our veterans know how to lead, solve problems, and get things done. That’s exactly the kind of talent local businesses need to grow.

Tough Stump Technologies in Carthage is a great example.

Tough Stump is a veteran-owned small business that provides tactical technology and training for servicemembers, including personnel at Fort Bragg. During my visit, I toured its facility and learned more about its work with drones, tactical mapping, real-time tracking, and communications technology used in remote and challenging environments.

Companies like Tough Stump help make sure our warfighters have the best technology, training, and tools in the world. They also create opportunities for veterans to use the skills they gained in uniform while continuing to support the mission from right here in North Carolina.

I want more veteran-owned businesses and companies supporting Fort Bragg to hire here, invest here, and grow here. Keeping that experience and talent close to Fort Bragg strengthens our military, our economy, and our entire community.

Our responsibility to veterans also means making sure they have a safe place to live and access to the care they need.

When the Fayetteville State Veterans Home closed in 2024, 85 veterans were displaced, including many with dementia and other disabilities.

I’m leading a bill to help build a new state veterans home near Fort Bragg and bring that care back to our community. The bill allows the Army to transfer 20 acres to North Carolina, clearing the way for the state to begin permitting and construction.

Our veterans shouldn’t have to leave their community or move far from their families to receive the care they’ve earned.

That same commitment brought me to Greensboro, where I joined veterans, local leaders, and members of the community to dedicate the Greensboro Vet Center’s new location.

For more than 40 years, the center has served Guilford County veterans, servicemembers and military families. It provides confidential services at no cost, including family and couples counseling, grief and bereavement counseling, post-traumatic stress disorder care, and help transitioning back to civilian life.

This may be a new location, but its mission remains the same: making sure the people who served our country are taken care of.

I am grateful for the Greensboro Vet Center staff who show up every day to serve the people who served us. As Fort Bragg’s Congressman, making sure veterans and their families have the care and support they earned will always be one of my top priorities.

Whether I am pressing phone companies for better service, supporting local businesses, strengthening Fort Bragg, or aiming to assist our veterans, my focus is simple: listening to you and delivering results for the communities I represent.

It’s an honor to serve you, and I will keep traveling across our district to hear directly from folks about what matters most.
Until next time,

Richard Hudson

Member of Congress