Broadband group holds press event

On Tuesday, June 4, the South Central Alabama Broadband Cooperative District (SCABCD) held a press event on the Lowndes County Courthouse steps in Hayneville. The event, attended by community leaders and stakeholders, preceded an expected announcement detailing a United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Utilities Service Broadband Technical Assistance partnership to support high speed internet by awarding Broadband Technical Assistance grant dollars to community organizations like SCABCD.

According to SCABCD managing director Dr. Aaron McCall, the cooperative agreement will be used to promote the expansion of high-speed internet in 45 communities across 15 counties in South Central Alabama. The district, in partnership with Ready.net, will utilize funding to perform community needs assessments and project planning, provide grant assistance, support construction planning and engineering and provide federal resource management and oversight.

McCall expects to announce specifics about the award later this week.