Fiber Electrifies Alabama Broadband Plans

As energy companies around the country deploy fiber to improve grid reliability, they open the door to enabling broadband connectivity to previously unserved rural communities. Alabama Power has invested over $1 billion in infrastructure upgrades to add over 1,600 miles of fiber within its service areas since 2017. It now connects over 1,000 devices on its electric distribution system, allowing for real-time monitoring and grid reconfiguration. Alabama Power’s fiber and state regulatory changes have enabled the utility to partner with the state’s electric co-ops and internet companies to deploy fiber by providing middle mile fiber to reach rural areas. They leverage Alabama Power’s existing fiber assets to reduce cost and enable others to open and expand last-mile access for unserved communities. Alabama’s partnership with these electric co-ops delivers over 3,000 miles of middle-mile fiber to 67 counties in the state, together as the Alabama Fiber Network. Alabama has been allocated $1.4 billion in National Telecommunications and Information Administration Broadband, Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) funding for broadband infrastructure and Alabama Power stands ready to provide dark fiber to ISPs interested in applying for BEAD and other broadband projects.