Gov Ivey Awards $53.5 Million for ‘Middle-Mile’ Broadband Service to Communities in 24 Alabama Counties

Governor Kay Ivey (R-AL) awarded nearly $53.5 million to continue the expansion of high-speed internet service in Alabama. The grant awarded to the Alabama Fiber Network, a coalition of electric and generation/transmission cooperatives, will help develop the second phase of the state’s “middle-mile” broadband network deployment. The project will impact 24 Alabama counties. Middle-mile projects are designed to fill the gaps in broadband expansion to make it more cost-effective and less labor intensive for providers to extend broadband services to businesses and households in the state. The project will bring more than 7,500 unserved businesses and residences within five miles of high-speed internet connectivity. Funding for this latest middle-mile project came from an allocation from the state’s share of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds.