The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced on Thursday that $20,337,000 will be invested in rural broadband in the North Alabama area.

The money is coming in the form of a loan to Ardmore Telephone Company, which will install 435 miles of Fiber optic cable that will provide improved internet service in five rural towns.

The new infrastructure provided for by the loan will be split between Ardmore, New Market and Elkmont, AL.; and Minor Hill and McBurg, TN.

The network installed by Ardmore Telephone Company will be a Fiber-to-the-Premises setup, meaning that consumers will have to see to the connection between their home and the newly installed fiber network on the street, a task which can usually be accomplished in communication with the internet provider.

All three towns are in U.S. Representative Mo Brooks’ (R-Huntsville) district; two are in Limestone County and one is in Madison County.

“COVID19 highlights the need for more broadband access in America. According to the Federal Communications Commission, 31 percent of rural Americans do not have broadband access at home. During the pandemic, school children without broadband access have been unable to attend classes digitally or complete online homework assignments. Adults have been similarly hamstrung in an increasingly digital economy. I’m pleased the U.S. Department of Agriculture is helping bring broadband to the Tennessee Valley. While it is only a little at a time, every improvement is progress that makes America stronger,” Brooks told Yellowhammer News.

USDA Deputy Under Secretary for Rural Development Bette Brand said in a release that her department “is committed to using all available tools and resources to increase e-Connectivity across rural America because we know when rural America thrives, all of America thrives.”

One of Alabama’s most vocal advocates for rural broadband, U.S. Rep. Robert Aderholt (R-Haleyville), commented, “I’m pleased to see that the USDA, under Secretary Perdue‘s leadership, continues to expand rural broadband across our state and our country. Connecting all of America to reliable, high speed internet has been a driving mission of mine and it is more important now than ever before.”

The $20 million coming to the North Alabama area is part of a nearly $87 million package that will benefit rural Americans in eight states.

U.S. Rep Martha Roby (R-Montgomery) called the announcement “Great news for the state of Alabama!” in a tweet on Thursday.

Henry Thornton is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can contact him by email: henry@new-yhn.local or on Twitter @HenryThornton95