Governor Kay Ivey announced on Thursday that the State of Alabama is funding grants to make high-speed internet available in seven communities across the state.
The seven grants together total $2.9 million, with the biggest of those, $1.3 million, going to eastern Cullman County.
The money for the grants comes from the Alabama Broadband Accessibility Fund, and they will be administered through the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA).
“Having access to high-speed internet can make a huge difference in the lives of Alabamians in terms of doing business, obtaining an education and improving the overall quality of life,” ADECA Director Kenneth Boswell said in a release.
“A community anchor is an establishment like a police or fire department, city hall, library, school or medical facility,” says Ivey’s office.
The seven grants, per the governor’s office, are as follows:
Butler County
Hayneville Fiber Transport Inc. (Camellia Communications) — $128,797 to provide service availability to 48 households and four community anchors in the Sherling Lake community which is northwest of the city of Greenville.Choctaw County/Washington County
Millry Telephone Co. Inc. — $954,902 to extend broadband service in the third phase of a project covering south Choctaw and north Washington counties. The project includes 559 households, 16 businesses and two anchors including Millry City Hall and Millry School.Cleburne County
Gigafy — $178,782 to provide access availability to 486 households and 38 businesses in the vicinity of the city of Heflin.Cullman County
Cyber Broadband Inc. — $1.33 million to provide service availability to 1,600 households, 125 businesses and 50 community anchors in the vicinity of the Baileytown and Joppa communities in eastern Cullman County.Dallas County
Spectrum Southeast — $55,481 to extend broadband service availability to 55 households in the Deerfield subdivision west of the city of Selma.Lee County
Spectrum Southeast — $8,407 to provide high-speed cable access to eight households along Lee County Road 279 near the Halawaka community.Tallapoosa County
Spectrum Southeast — $245,567 to extend service availability to 316 households in the Marina Marin area of Lake Martin near Alabama Highway 50.
“The COVID-19 pandemic further emphasized how essential broadband services are to the unserved and underserved residents of Alabama,” Ivey said in a statement.
She added, “Thanks to the Broadband Accessibility Fund and broadband providers, we are making progress in ensuring that Alabamians have access to high-speed internet services, but there is no question we have a long way to go on completing this mission.”
Henry Thornton is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can contact him by email: [email protected] or on Twitter @HenryThornton95
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