Update on broadband internet service in Southwest Arkansas

In 2019, Governor Asa Hutchinson released a statewide broadband plan, which set a goal for providing high speed, broadband internet access to communities with at least 500 residents.  The plan set a four year window to reach the broadband deployment goal.  This week some key findings and recommendations on where the state is on the broadband project.  Arkansas currently has 210,000 under served households.  However, nearly half of those are covered by federal grant funding, so the state can’t provide money to those areas.

Since the governor’s plan was created in 2019, there has been some efforts made to improve internet access and speed in this area.  State grant funding in excess of $1.76 million dollars allowed for wireless coverage to some residents in Nashville, Center Point and the Dierks areas.  However, homes in those areas without a line of sight to the wireless internet towers and transmitters have been unable to receive the wireless internet service.

Fiber broadband internet is currently not available for a majority of residential customers within the city of Nashville.

In the coverage area of Southwest Arkansas Electric REA, the company has been working to establish broadband fiber internet for its customers.  Many of those in Howard County now have access to the service.  The fiber internet project for Southwest Electric REA’s entire service area is being paid by a $53 million dollar grant from the Federal Communications Commission.

A state grant of nearly $4.5 million dollars was recently awarded to run fiber internet to the city of Mineral Springs.