Yuma, Arizona.- This week Yuma County received notice that it has received the maximum award amount of $10 million from the Arizona Commerce Authority’s Arizona Broadband Development Grant program for its new Broadband Middle-Mile Network. The network is designed to cover 140 miles across Yuma County with the latest fiber optic technology that delivers the fastest speeds in broadband.
“This critical funding will allow the County to extend the network even further to best serve residents and businesses with fast, affordable high-speed internet,” County Administrator Ian McGaughey said.
The Yuma County Board of Supervisors identified high-speed broadband service as its top priority for the County’s allocation of federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. The County has already committed $20.7 million, one-half of its $41 million ARPA allocation, to the broadband backbone network.
“It’s a great day in Yuma County to receive these additional funds from the Arizona Commerce Authority to help us finance this important broadband project,” said Chairman Tony Reyes, Yuma County Board of Supervisors.
The purpose of Yuma County’s Broadband Middle Mile Network project is to provide everyone in the County with access to high-speed, reliable, affordable internet service, using the latest fiber optic technology. The plan is to offer the fastest speeds available, with symmetrical 1 Gigabit per second (Gbps) for residential and 10 Gbps for businesses, with future upgrades as technology evolves.
Early in 2021, Yuma County made broadband one of its top priorities after identifying a critical need to make the internet available to all residents. The countywide backbone will make it easier for last-mile providers to connect to unserved and underserved areas in Yuma County. ALLO Communications was awarded the contract to design and build the project.
Yuma County was one of 14 award recipients in rural counties through a competitive grant process. The Yuma County Administration Grants Office handled the grant development and submission.