Arkansas Rural Connect (ARC) Broadband Project, Arkansas

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The State of Arkansas is partnered with Windstream to deliver seven fiber broadband expansion projects across seven Arkansas counties. Construction on the first of the seven fiber broadbands in Grant County began in September 2021, and is expected to be completed in the spring of 2022. Other counties in the overall project include Carroll, Faulkner, Perry, Searcy, Sevier and Van Buren. Windstream will deliver its Kinetic product, a gigabit-speed internet service, to over 15,100 homes and small businesses in rural areas. Currently, Arkansas lacks fiber broadband access with 27 percent of residents not having adequate broadband infrastructure and 54 percent live in areas with only one internet provider. Fiber networks provide the fastest and most reliable internet services to meet rural residents’ needs. In August 2019, Governor Asa Hutchinson announced the Arkansas Rural Connect Broadband Grant Program to bring high-speed broadband service to rural communities. Cities, counties, and unincorporated communities of over 500 people, at least 200 of which lack broadband coverage. No more than 80 percent of the population is served by broadband are eligible to apply for the grant program with their internet service provider. However, communities can partner together to meet the eligibility criteria and apply together. The grant reimburses costs for broadband deployment, rental, depreciation, equipment costs, wages, and engineering costs. The Rural Connect Broadband Grant Program will provide up to 30 grants with a maximum size of $75,000 each. The grants require approval from either the Legislative Council or Joint Budget Committee. The Federal Communications Commission and the U.S. Department of Agriculture are only two of the Federal programs recognizing the need for fiber broadband in Arkansas’ rural neighborhoods

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