Masha Abarinova

Regional US operator C Spire continues its fiber buildout in the South, having begun work in Hoover and Homewood, Alabama. The operator is investing $500 million of its own funding over a three-year period, its deployment driven by crowdsourcing and grassroots campaigns. Ben Moncrief, C Spire’s EVP for Alabama markets, said the company encourages people to visit its website, where they can input their addresses and let the company know where they want fiber deployed. He added C Spire “absolutely” places emphasis on local community feedback.

Tennessee’s broadband deployment is getting a leg up with expanded funding from the American Rescue Plan (ARP). The Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development (ECD) will award up to $400 million to service providers for broadband infrastructure projects. All entities authorized to provide broadband in the state are eligible to receive funding, said Taylre Beaty, state broadband director for the Tennessee ECD. The entities can be solely broadband providers to Tennessee, or they can include nationwide coverage.