Latest broadband grant will see Freedom Fiber build out from Waco community into Colbert and Lauderdale counties
Last Tuesday, Gov. Kay Ivey announced a grant of nearly $53 million to continue the build out of high-speed internet service across Alabama, Franklin County was among 24 counties Ivey said would be impacted by the funds.
The grant was awarded to the Alabama Fiber Network, a coalition of electric and generation/transmission cooperatives, and will be used to develop the second phase of the state’s broadband network deployment, something called ‘middle mile’ broadband.
Middle-mile projects fill the gaps in broadband expansion so as to make it less expensive and less labor intensive for providers to extend broadband services to additional businesses and households.
The $53 million will allow the expansion of 1,095 miles of high-speed middle mile broadband that will connect 120 community anchors. Community anchors include schools, hospitals, government offices, and police and fire departments.
The grant will be administered by the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs through its Digital Expansion Division, an agency Ivey and the Alabama Legislature created to focus on broadband expansion in the state.
The Franklin County portion of the middle-mile build out involves $5 million of grant funds awarded to Freedom Fiber and will allow the company to use existing connectivity in the Waco community to expand into Colbert and Lauderdale counties.
With funding for broadband build out across Franklin County secured, Freedom Fiber will move north from its existing Franklin County connectivity, opening the door for high-speed broadband in unserved areas of Colbert and Lauderdale counties.
It's essentially the high-speed internet version of ‘paying it forward.’
As Rep. Jamie Kiel (R-Russellville) explained, Franklin County is positioned to see high-speed internet availability across the entire county in the coming months.
“My number one goal upon taking office was to find funds to bring high speed internet to every home in Franklin County,” Kiel said. “We have benefited from over $5 million in funds from the state since then to do just that.
“Freedom Fiber has been a great partner and has invested almost $40 million in the project. These funds, along with American Rescue Plan Act funds that the Franklin County Commission allocated to fiber, bring the total investment to almost $50 million to bring high speed internet to every home in Franklin County,” Kiel added.
The new $53 million grant is expected to bring more than 7,500 unserved residences and businesses within five miles of high-speed internet connectivity, Ivey explained. As with the Franklin County Commission’s funding commitment, the $53 million will come from Alabama’s share of American Rescue Plan Act funds.
The Alabama Fiber Network is made up of seven electric cooperatives and one generation/transmission cooperative. Neither the Russellville Electric Board nor the Franklin Electric Cooperative are part of that network, although both are working with Freedom Fiber to lease access to utility poles as part of broadband build out.
For residents and business owners in the City of Russellville, their broadband options will soon include a third provider in Freedom Fiber.
“Freedom Fiber will soon be building out their network in the City of Russellville. Although Russellville is now served by AT&T and Spectrum broadband, this will provide another option for city residents to have reliable high speed internet service,” Kiel added.