Lawrence County, AT&T announce rural broadband project
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AT&T will expand its fiber network to potentially 530 rural customers in Lawrence County as part of a new $2.6 million public-private project, the company said.
The public-private initiative is part of a larger push to work with digitally-unconnected areas and close their digital divide. AT&T will invest $1.6 million while Lawrence County will contribute $950,000.
Planning and engineering work will begin this quarter. The project is expected to be completed within two years.
“We know how crucial fast connectivity is to all aspects of daily life,” Lawrence County Commissioner Rodney Fish said in a news release. “AT&T has proven to be a great provider to work with, and we look forward to more high-speed broadband being deployed in rural Lawrence County.”
The expansion is the county’s third broadband project with AT&T and will expand higher-quality internet access to the county. Other efforts include a $3.6 million project in the northwestern portion aimed at servicing 2,300 customers and a $4.3 million project to service 1,200 customers.
AT&T has several other broadband projects in the state, including the city of Boonville, the city of Martinsville and Delaware County.