Image courtesy of HighSpeedInternet.com
A portion of north central Arkansas is expected to have internet access more available through assistance from the federal government. Arkansas Telephone Company, Inc., of Clinton has been awarded a grant of nearly $12 million from the United States Department of Agriculture to provide high-speed internet access in Searcy and Van Buren counties.
According to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, the grant was one of 20 grants and loans recently announced as part of the third round of funding for the USDA’s Rural Development ReConnect.
According to the list of grants, the investment will go toward the deployment of a fiber-to-the-premises network to connect 986 individuals, 10 businesses and 145 farms to high-speed internet in Searcy and Van Buren counties. Arkansas Telephone Company is set to make internet access affordable by offering low-cost starter packages with voice and voice/data. Discounts will be offered to anyone participating in the Federal Communications Commission’s Lifeline and Affordable Connectivity Programs.
The total amount of funding nationwide was nearly $401 million.
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