Governor Kay Ivey has awarded nearly $42 million for “last-mile” high-speed internet projects in 23 Alabama counties.
The funding includes $3.63 million for infrastructure in a nine-county West Alabama area that includes Hale and Perry Counties.
The latest Capital Projects Fund grants will cover 2,347 miles and provide broadband availability to more than 15,000 households, businesses and community anchor institutions in the state that currently do not have access to high-speed internet.
Yellowhammer Networks was $3.63 million to provide high-speed internet over nearly 1,000 miles to provide access to 2,352 unserved households, businesses and community anchor institutions in Bibb, Chilton, Dallas, Greene, Hale, Marengo, Perry, Shelby and Sumter counties.
“With these latest grants, Alabama takes another allimportant step to supplying high-speed internet availability to more rural Alabama communities and neighborhoods,” said Governor Ivey. “Upon completion of these projects, more children will have better learning opportunities, more businesses will have greater opportunities to compete worldwide, and emergency response departments and medical clinics will be able to offer improved services.”
“Last-mile” projects are the final leg of high-speed internet installation between the internet service provider and the customer, whether it be family households, businesses or community anchor institutions like schools, fire stations, libraries and post offices. Once installation is complete, the households, businesses and institutions have the option to connect to the network by becoming a customer of the internet service provider. In February, Governor Ivey awarded $148.3 million in Capital Projects Fund grants for broadband accessibility in more than two-thirds of the state’s 67 counties. The grants awarded today are from the remaining funds.
The Capital Projects Fund program is supported by the state’s share of the federal American Rescue Plan Act funds. It is one of several sources of funds to expand high-speed internet services to Alabamians.
The Alabama Digital Expansion Division, which is part of the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA) and was created by legislation signed by Governor Ivey, has been instrumental in the state’s broadband expansion. These projects are being supported, in whole or in part, by federal award number CPFFN0162 awarded to the State of Alabama by the U.S. Department of the Treasury. ADECA administers an array of programs supporting law enforcement and traffic safety, economic development, energy conservation, water resource management and recreation development.
