News
A new fiber broadband project that will deliver high-speed internet to thousands of homes in Alabama’s underserved Black Belt region has broken ground.
An ambitious project to bring fiber-to-the-home to over 53,000 homes and businesses across a 300 mile stretch of Alabama’s Black Belt region will be completed thanks to completely private funds, according to Meridiam, the owner and financer of Yellowhammer Networks, a network developer.
Meridiam announced the news March 2 in a press release and stated their $230 million project in Alabama is part of more than $2.7 billion the company has invested in fiber broadband.
The company’s release announced that Omnipoint, an ISP, will serve as an initial partner on the open-access network.
According to Meridiam’s announcement, the partnership will result in “high-quality, and affordable fiber broadband service to schools, businesses, and households across Selma, Demopolis, and the Alabama Black Belt.”
The network will also extend to Bibb, Dallas, Greene, Hale, Marengo, Perry, Sumter, and Wilcox counties, according to Meridiam’s release.
James Perkins, the mayor of Selma, said access to high-speed broadband is as important as access to gas, water, and electricity. His comments were included with Meridiam’s announcement.
“In our increasingly digital society, cities without access to fiber broadband risk falling behind,” he said. “It’s critical that the City of Selma makes fiber broadband accessible citywide by building utility-like infrastructure that serves our residents’ needs today and for generations to come.”
Nicolas Rubio, CEO for the Americas, Meridiam, said his company is dedicated to continuing to fill “critical fiber infrastructure gaps” and eliminating the digital divide.
“Yellowhammer Networks is determined to make high-speed fiber broadband accessible to residents throughout Selma and the region regardless of their income levels,” he said, according to Meridiam’s release.
