New Broadband Expansion Projects Approved Totaling $21.6 Million

JACKSON, Miss. - Governor Tate Reeves today announced that the Office of Broadband Expansion and Accessibility of Mississippi (BEAM) recently approved nine broadband expansion projects to be funded by the Capital Projects Fund (CPF). These nine projects will provide $21.6 million of grant funding to expand internet service to approximately 12,300 households in communities across the state.

"Mississippi continues to make incredible progress in expanding broadband access all across our state," said Governor Tate Reeves. "It's a critical piece of infrastructure, and we're working hard to ensure that every Mississippian has access to it. We'll continue doing everything in our power to ensure everyone has connectivity, regardless of their zip code."

Approved projects by provider are as follows:

• ACE Fiber - Blue Springs/SE Union County
• ACE Fiber - Blue Mountain to New Albany
• ACE Fiber - Potts Camp to Myrtle
• AT&T - Leake County: Sebastapol/Conway/Bertice areas
• AT&T - Marshall County: Mahon/Waites/Laws Hill areas
• CSpire - Southwest MS: Columbia/Summit/Osyka/Liberty/Gloster
• CSpire - Central MS: Puckett/Magee/Mendenhall/Madison
• Comcast - Statewide Line Extension: Jackson area/Laurel/Hattiesburg areas
• TVEPA - NE Yalobusha County/Water Valley

This announcement is in addition to $70.1 million awarded for 24 other CPF projects approved in June of this year to serve approximately 27,000 households. In total, Mississippi was allocated $162 million through CPF.

The $162 million in CPF funding is only one of the investments in Mississippi broadband that is to be administered by the BEAM office. BEAM is currently overseeing the $32 million Broadband Infrastructure Program (BIP) projects (12 projects in 10 counties) that will be completed this calendar year. BEAM is also preparing to administer the $1.2 billion in funding provided by the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) grant, and overseeing the $10.7 million State Digital Skills and Accessibility grant.

Citizens are encouraged to visit the Mississippi broadband map available at www.broadbandms.com. The map shows available service at each household, as well as locations that already have federal funding for service expansion. BEAM can be reached by phone at 601-359-5029 or by email at [email protected] for any questions.