Arkansas has been approved by the U.S Department of Commerce to distribute the federal funding it was awarded to expand broadband access. In an interview with Arkansas PBS, Glen Howie, the state director for broadband, said he anticipates the grants will be disbursed to local entities.
“You look at the types of providers we anticipate applying in this program and winning grant awards you’re going to have a mix. We expect a very big from small providers to midsize to large to the electric cooperative subsidiaries that have been very active in broadband in Arkansas,” Howie said.
Last month, the Arkansas Electric Cooperative announced cooperative fiber providers have delivered broadband capability to more than one million Arkansans, according to Talk Business & Politics.
The funding for broadband expansion comes from the Infrastructure and Jobs Act that was signed into law by President Joe Biden in 2021. Arkansas was one of 19 states to be awarded $1 billion or more from the federal government for expanding broadband, according to the Arkansas Department of Commerce.
