News
Nearly $42 million has been awarded to fund well over 2,000 miles of last-mile broadband in 23 counties around the state.
By: Brad Randall, Broadband Communities
Grants from Alabama’s Capital Projects Fund will help support the construction of 2,347 miles of last-broadband projects around the state.
Gov. Kay Ivey announced the news last week, declaring it as yet another important step taken by Alabama towards the mission of connecting the state’s unserved and underserved rural communities.
“Upon completion of these projects, more children will have better learning opportunities, more businesses will have greater opportunities to compete worldwide, and emergency response departments and medical clinics will be able to offer improved services,” Ivey said in a Sept. 16 statement.
Entities to receive grant funds in this latest round of funding include the Central Alabama Electric Cooperative, Brightspeed, Farmers Telecommunications Corp., Bama Fiber, Mediacom, Millry Telephone Co., Spectrum Southeast, Roanoke Telephone Co., C Spire, and Yellowhammer Networks.
Last week’s announcement marks another milestone for Alabama’s statewide broadband efforts.
In February, the state awarded $148.3 million in Capital Projects Fund grants for broadband accessibility. That funding went to more than two-thirds of the state’s 67 counties, the release from Ivey’s office explained.
The projects to receive grant funds included efforts like Brightspeed’s push to connect unserved households in Mobile and Baldwin counties, and C Spire’s initiative to connect community anchor institutions in Baldwin, Coffee, Crenshaw, Covington, Houston and Pike counties.
The release from Ivey’s office also credited the Alabama Digital Expansion Division, an arm of the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA), as having played an “instrumental” role in Alabama’s broadband buildout.
ADECA Director Kenneth Boswell said he’s honored in the trust that Alabama has placed in his office.
“Our state and so many partners are making continued progress in providing high-speed internet access to those unserved areas in Alabama,” Boswell said, adding that the ADECA’s mission “will truly change lives for the better.”
To get content like this delivered to your inbox, subscribe to the Broadband Communities newsletter.
