Governor Kay Ivey along with state and local leaders gathered Wednesday on the banks of the Alabama River to mark a practical milestone in Alabama’s broadband buildout: the Alabama Fiber Network’s (AFN) middle-mile line has crossed the J. Lee Long Bridge on Alabama Highway 29, one of the final major spans before the statewide backbone […]

100,000 people: The number of residents in rural Northwest Alabama who will gain improved access to the information superhighway. $145 million: The investment by the Tombigbee Electric Cooperative to create the on-ramp for those residents. 4,200 miles: The number of miles of fiber installed. U.S. Rep. Robert Aderholt, Alabama House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter and Senate […]

Federal, state and local leaders will gather Thursday afternoon at Tombigbee Electric Cooperative’s headquarters to celebrate a milestone nearly nine years in the making: the completion of more than 4,200 miles of fiber delivering reliable, high-speed internet to homes and businesses across eight rural Northwest Alabama counties. The Freedom Fiber-branded network was built by Tombigbee’s […]

On May 3, 2018, I stood in a warehouse at Tombigbee Electric Cooperative in Hamilton, Alabama, alongside Governor Kay Ivey and then–Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue, to announce to Alabama and the rest of America the creation of the USDA’s ReConnect Program. That day marked the start of a new chapter in connecting rural America […]

The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs on Tuesday afternoon formally submitted the state’s final Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program proposal to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) following a public comment period. Once approved and projects are completed, every BEAD-eligible location in Alabama will have access to high-speed internet connectivity, […]

The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA) opened a seven-day public comment period on the state’s final BEAD proposal on Tuesday, which is slated for submission to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration next Thursday. State officials say the plan would extend high-speed internet to every BEAD-eligible location in Alabama, with awards supporting […]

The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA) hosted the Alabama Digital Expansion Authority’s quarterly meeting in Montgomery this week. The meeting featured progress updates from 20 internet service providers that received grants from two programs funded by federal American Rescue Plan Act funds as the state pushes forward with its effort to expand […]

Across Alabama, hardworking families, veterans, small business owners, and farmers form the backbone of our economy and our way of life. From our rural communities to our growing towns and cities, these Alabamians create opportunities, strengthen our communities, and drive our state forward. As Washington debates this significant reconciliation package, it is vital that we […]

The progress of broadband Internet access in Alabama is nothing if not remarkable. According to broadbandnow.com, in 2019, the state was ranked 47th in the U.S. for broadband connectivity. Today, we rank 24th. That is an improvement worthy of note. It was no accident. Approximately seven years ago, then-House Majority Leader Nathaniel Ledbetter and his […]

Alabama stands at a historic crossroads. The digital divide is a stark reality in our state, particularly in communities across my district in the Black Belt. While urban areas enjoy the benefits of high-speed internet, many rural residents are left in the dark, unable to access the essential tools and opportunities of today’s 21st century […]

Alabama’s $1.4 billion proposal to expand high-speed internet has been approved by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA) proudly reported on Thursday. The funding, which comes through the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program, or BEAD, was initially announced in 2023. As part of the federal […]

In the latest act of Alabama’s years-long broadband expansion effort, Governor Kay Ivey announced an almost $42 million Capital Projects Fund grant to be allocated toward 23 counties across the state. The new funding will help to provide broadband availability to more than 15,000 households, businesses, and community anchors. Once completed, the additional “last-mile broadband” […]

In a move to connect data centers in two of Alabama’s largest cities, Uniti Fiber announced plans to build a new 200-mile-long fiber network spanning from Montgomery to Mobile. The project is being funded through a new 20-year contract award from a strategic hyper-scale customer in Alabama. “We are humbled to have earned the continued […]

Alabama’s leaders have made broadband access a top priority, and together, we have invested significant resources to achieve this goal.  The early efforts of former Senator Clay Scofield and Representative Randall Shedd established the Alabama Digital Expansion Authority. Alabama’s investment in our Broadband Accessibility Grant Program helped us understand the intricacies of identifying truly unserved […]

Earlier this summer, Alabama Fiber Network, responsible for deploying critical middle-mile infrastructure throughout all 67 counties of the state, announced the selection of its inaugural CEO, Terry Metze. Since then, Mr. Metze has been focused on building out the organization, AFN reports. “I am proud that some of the brightest professionals in the telecommunications industry […]

When Governor Kay Ivey asked me to serve as Director of the Alabama Department of Community Affairs (ADECA), she made one thing clear – a top priority of her administration is to ensure that every single Alabamian will have the ability to access high-speed internet. That is a noble goal indeed, given that in a […]

On Monday night, the Lee County Commission took a significant step toward bridging the digital divide by awarding BEAM Broadband $2.9 million from its American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. This substantial funding will facilitate the expansion of high-speed fiber internet to underserved rural areas within the county. This latest award marks the second phase […]

Wednesday in Cullman, the Alabama Fiber Network (AFN), a coalition of eight electric co-ops and partners, officially launched its middle-mile broadband service. According to AFN, today’s event with Governor Kay Ivey marked a major step in reducing the digital divide across Alabama. The network lighting ceremony also announced Sprout Fiber Internet as the network’s first […]

Alabama’s broadband availability has continued to grow by leaps and bounds in recent years. In 2019, the state was ranked 47th in the U.S. for broadband connectivity. Fast forward to 2024, Alabama currently ranks 24th on that same list. BroadbandNow’s index of internet availability takes into account internet coverage, speed, and availability in each individual […]

On Tuesday, Governor Kay Ivey awarded nearly $53.5 million to expand high-speed internet across Alabama in yet another milestone of the state’s longstanding effort to bridge the digital divide for rural areas. The grant awarded to the Alabama Fiber Network, a coalition of electric and generation/transmission cooperatives, will help develop the second phase of the […]

On Tuesday, the Alabama Fiber Network (AFN), a coalition of eight electric co-ops and partners throughout the state, announced the hiring of Terry Metze as its Chief Executive Officer. AFN provides critical middle-mile connectivity to last-mile providers and community anchor institutions in the state of Alabama. “We are excited about Mr. Metze’s hiring and welcome […]

I’ve worked with Governor Kay Ivey for quite a while, and when she says she wants something done, she means it.  When Governor Ivey asked me to serve as director of the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA) back in 2017, she made one thing perfectly clear – expanding access to high-speed internet […]

Alabama has a historic opportunity to expand access to affordable, reliable, high-speed internet to everyone in the state, no matter where they live or their circumstances. Access, however, depends on more than wires, poles, and other pieces of infrastructure. It also depends on making sure that internet service is affordable, and that all Alabamians have […]

Uniti Fiber, a provider of infrastructure solutions, is installing nearly 65 miles of “middle mile” broadband in Alabama’s Black Belt region. The project is funded by a $4.2 million grant. Middle-mile projects, according to Uniti, reduce the costs and labor for providers to extend services to unserved businesses and households. This broadband project will serve […]