News
More than $188 million has been awarded to 12 internet service providers in Alabama for the construction of over 4,000 miles of “middle-mile” projects throughout the state.
The Alabama Fiber Network, a grouping of eight electric co-ops and subsidiaries, was the biggest winner in a recent announcement from Alabama’s governor detailing grant awards under the Alabama Anchor Institution Middle Mile (AIMM) Grant Program.
They were one of a dozen service providers that received money to support the state’s efforts to connect “community anchor institutions” and the access needs of last-mile broadband providers, an announcement from Alabama Fiber Network stated.
Governor Kay Ivey (R) announced the grants in her hometown of Camden, a rural community in Wilcox County. According to a release from Ivey’s office, Wilcox County is one of the localities that will benefit from the latest round of grant funding.
“Rural Alabama, like so many other places in the state, is in need of increased access to high-speed internet, and today we are taking a significant stride in our journey toward full broadband access,” she was quoted as saying at the Feb. 5 announcement in Camden. “These middle-mile projects will be extremely beneficial to our anchor institutions, and it puts us in a desirable situation where the ‘last mile’ projects that will supply broadband service to businesses and households are more economical and attainable.”
Ivey’s office defined community anchor institutions as places like schools, hospitals, medical facilities, and government and public safety buildings.
Amounts for the 12 grants awarded ranged from $411,341, awarded to Point Broadband for a middle-mile project of 12.4 miles in Blount County, which will impact 21 anchor institutions, to $128.8 million, awarded to the Alabama Fiber Network.
The Alabama Fiber Network will install 1,776 miles of middle-mile fiber across 21 counties, connecting 438 anchor institutions, the release from the governor’s office revealed.
“Our goal is to work with last-mile service providers in an open access manner to make certain these providers have the bandwidth they need to serve Alabamians who lack affordable and scalable high-speed broadband,” said Chris Skelton, the chief technology officer for the Alabama Fiber Network.
He said construction of the new infrastructure will take about 30 months to complete, according to a release from the Alabama Fiber Network following the governor’s announcement.
Other organizations to be awarded grant funding included Central Alabama Electric Cooperative, Coosa Valley Technologies Inc., Cullman Electric Cooperative, Farmers Telecommunications Corp., JMF Solutions, Joe Wheeler Electric Membership Corp., Spectrum Southeast, Tombigbee Electric Cooperative, Uniti Fiber, and Yellowhammer Networks.
