The Alabama Fiber Network (AFN) — a coalition of eight electric co-ops, their subsidiaries and key partners dedicated to expediting a world-class, middle-mile broadband backbone across Alabama — has been awarded $128.8 million under the Alabama Anchor Institution Middle Mile (AIMM) Grant Program. The announcement by Alabama Governor Kay Ivey will allow the continued expansion of AFN into more rural areas of the state. This expansion will support Community Anchor Institution (CAI) connectivity and the internet access needs of last-mile broadband providers who will bring high-speed broadband service to rural Alabamians who currently lack this service.
The $128.8 million dollars will be used to install five middle-mile projects totaling 1,776 miles and connecting 438 anchor institutions in Bibb, Butler, Chilton, Choctaw, Conecuh, Dale, Dallas, Geneva, Greene, Hale, Henry, Houston, Jefferson, Lowndes, Marengo, Monroe, Perry, Pickens, Sumter, Tuscaloosa and Wilcox counties.
“Our fiber optic network will help bring those Alabama communities without reliable internet into a new era,” said Tom Stackhouse, AFN Chairman and Central Alabama Electric Cooperative President/CEO. “Through these awards, the Alabama Fiber Network will consist of over 5,000 linear miles of fiber optic fiber network. This will bring essential middle-mile network services to last-mile service providers who want to serve these rural areas.”
AFN’s network will deliver direct, high-speed connections for companies providing last-mile broadband service directly to Alabama residences and businesses. A portion of the 1,776 miles of fiber accounted for with this specific grant will be existing fiber strands leased through Alabama Power Company, while the remaining will be new build fiber-optic cable lines.
“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 AFN Chief Technology Officer Chris Skelton. “Construction of the new infrastructure will take approximately thirty months complete. This project would not be possible without the support of the Governor, the Alabama Legislature, the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA) and the Alabama Digital Expansion Authority.”
Governor Ivey’s newest funding allocation is the latest made possible by allocating Alabama’s share of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds toward a statewide broadband initiative. In January 2021, she announced the approval of an initial $276 million in APRA federal funds to expand high-speed internet access across the state, of which AFN was allocated more than $82 million in September 2022.
AFN is comprised of Central Alabama Electric Cooperative, Coosa Valley Electric Cooperative, Covington Electric Cooperative, Cooperative Connection LLC (a subsidiary of Cullman Electric Cooperative), JWEMC Communications LLC (a subsidiary of Joe Wheeler Electric Membership Cooperative), North Alabama Electric Cooperative, Tombigbee Electric Cooperative, and PowerSouth Energy Cooperative alongside fiber lease partner Alabama Power Company.
Targeted community events celebrating AFN’s middle-mile expansion will be announced in the coming weeks. For more information, please visit www.alabamafibernetwork.com.
