Diamond State Networks working to bring broadband internet to rural Arkansas

Diamond State Networks, a coalition of 13 Arkansas Electric Cooperatives, is the newest wholesale broadband provider in the state with the goal of providing high-speed internet access to 1.25 million rural Arkansans.  The Jonesboro based coalition network will cover more than 64% of Arkansas with more than 50,000 miles of fiber. The Diamond State expansion should help reach Arkansas households without access to high-speed broadband. A recent report from Broadband Development Group said the state has 210,000 households underserved by broadband services, but 100,000 of them are being addressed by federal and state programs. Using federal funding, the remaining 110,000 households could be reached at a cost of up to $550 million.
Diamond State Networks includes Four States Fiber, which covers a large part of southwest Arkansas, as well as South Central Connect, which includes Pike and several other counties.