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According to a Missouri Congressman, Spectrum’s latest expansion project will help close digital gaps in the state.

By: Brad Randall, Broadband Communities

Construction on a network that will offer more than 400 locations access to high-speed fiber optic broadband in rural Pettis County, Missouri is underway.

The project, announced by Spectrum this week, will utilize some of the $1.2 billion won by Spectrum in the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) auction.

Spectrum, which is a suite of communications services offered by Charter Communications, announced work has already begun on several projects in the county.

When construction is completed, the company’s announcement stated several broadband options would be offered to customers, including Spectrum Internet Gig, with download speeds up to 1 Gbps, and Spectrum Internet service, with download speeds of 300 Mbps.

Congressman Mark Alford, who represents Missouri’s 4th Congressional District, said Spectrum’s expansion effort will be a key component of closing the local digital divide.

“Charter’s recent RDOF expansion helps close the remaining access gaps and brings internet accessibility to more families and businesses in Pettis County,” Rep. Alford said, according to Spectrum’s release.

In total, Spectrum has announced approximately $5 billion worth of investment toward expansion to unserved rural areas, $1.2 billion of which will come from the FCC’s RDOF.

According to Spectrum, the company’s rural broadband buildouts will provide internet services to 1 million customer locations across two dozen states in the coming years.

Matt Brown, the VP of Spectrum’s construction division, said Spectrum’s Missouri investment “will ensure families and businesses can participate fully in the digital world, now and well into the future.”

His comments were included in Spectrum’s release.

“Broadband is a vital resource for work, learning and personal connection,” he said. “Leveraging resources won in the RDOF auction, we’re building a high-speed, high-capacity network that will bring gigabit internet to thousands of homes and small businesses across Missouri.”

Last month Spectrum was also announced as a recipient of 23 grants to expand broadband access to underserved areas of Alabama.

An additional 21,000 homes and businesses across Alabama will benefit from the grants, which were awarded to Spectrum by the Alabama Capital Projects Fund.

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