Wylie Rodriguez, a Mediacom technician, works on servicing existing broadband infrastructure Tuesday, Oct. 31, 2023, in Silverhill, Ala. Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs Commissioner Kenneth Boswell said the agency is on track to meet deadlines and spend its ARPA funds by the end of 2026. (Mike Kittrell for Alabama Reflector)
The head of the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA) said the agency is on track to spend its share of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds by the end of 2026.
Kenneth Boswell, commissioner of ADECA, said at a meeting of the joint Alabama Digital Expansion Authority and Rural Broadband Oversight Committee Tuesday that he is “very satisfied” with the agency’s progress to deplete federal funds by the federal deadline of Dec. 31, 2026.
Agencies have until Dec. 31, 2024, to obligate funds, a goal that has already been met, Boswell said Tuesday.
“I can tell you we’re working at a feverish pace to stay up with everything that’s going on,” he said.
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The agency is spending over $400 million in ARPA funds on efforts to expand broadband in Alabama. The statewide middle-mile project, funded with up to $85 million from ARPA’s first tranche of funds in 2022, aims to connect nearly 3,000 miles of fiber across the state. Middle-mile connects providers to local networks and is a part that enables “last-mile” connections, bringing internet to individual users.
A second $245 million middle-mile project focuses on expanding fiber broadband infrastructure to schools, hospitals and government facilities. This effort will add 4,287 miles of middle-mile infrastructure, benefiting nearly 800 institutions.
The projects are expected to be completed by February 2026, with extensions available until the federal deadline of December 2026.
ADECA is also overseeing the development of a last-mile broadband program using up to $191.89 million in ARPA funds. This program will deliver high-speed internet to 53,892 residents, businesses and community institutions, covering 5,429 route miles of fiber.
Maureen Neighbors, digital expansion division chief for ADECA, also presented incoming federal funding from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program of $1.4 billion. The BEAD program funds, expected to begin rolling out in 2025, will support broadband deployment to underserved areas.
“This was definitely an attempt to make sure that we were integrating all of these funds and layering them to get the biggest bang for our buck,” Neighbors said.
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