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Wecom said the money will be used to connect more than 66,000 homes and businesses across 17 project areas in eight counties in Arizona.
Edited by Brad Randall, Broadband Communities
Arizona has awarded a $195 million broadband grant to Wecom Fiber to bring high-speed internet to rural and underserved parts of the state, officials announced Monday.
The funding, part of the federal BEAD program distributed by the Arizona and approved by the NTIA, is the largest single BEAD award to any recipient in the state and will be combined with private matching funds to build fiber-to-the-premise service.
In an announcement recently, Wecom said the money will be used to connect more than 66,000 homes and businesses across 17 project areas in eight counties.
The company outlined planned funding and estimated connection counts by county: Yavapai will receive about $49.5 million for roughly 13,000 locations, Coconino $42.3 million for 10,500 locations, Mohave $24.5 million for 6,500, Navajo $21 million for 6,600, Pinal $20 million for 19,000, Maricopa $16.5 million for 6,100, Gila $16.7 million for 3,200 and La Paz $4.8 million for 700.
Awards described as historic
The awards follow a statewide BEAD allocation that Gov. Katie Hobbs announced totals $967 million, which state officials describe as Arizona’s largest-ever broadband investment.
“Opportunity for every Arizonan means access to fast, affordable, reliable internet, no matter your zip code,” Hobbs said in the announcement, linking broadband expansion to education, health care and workforce development.
Company CEO Paul Fleming also called the award “historic.” He thanked state leaders and residents who participated in the public planning process.
Wecom, founded in Kingman nearly 70 years ago, is now a regional fiber broadband provider.
The company is backed by private equity firm Searchlight Capital Partners.
Behind Wecom Fiber, the second largest award amount in Arizona’s BEAD distributions is $148.6 million, set aside for the Navajo Nation, according to Connected Nation’s BEAD dashboard.
AI tools from Noah Wire Services were used to help generate this report.
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