ARPA Broadband Infrastructure grant for Jefferson County

(Hillsboro) Spectrum announced it has been awarded two ARPA Broadband Infrastructure Grants of more than $4.3 million to bring gigabit high-speed internet access to more than 1,500 homes and small businesses in Jefferson County. Combined with the state grant and a contribution from the county of more than $1.56 million, the total project investment, including $4.2 million from Spectrum, is more than $10 million. County Executive Dennis Gannon says these funds will go a long way to covering most of the county with internet services.

The ARPA Broadband Infrastructure Grant further expands Spectrum’s rural construction initiative, the centerpiece of which is the company’s approximately $5 billion investment in unserved rural communities, which includes more than $1 billion won in the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) auction. Missouri Governor Mike Parson has stated several times the need for better internet capabilities across the state. Several local legislators such as State Senator Elaine Gannon and State Representative Cindy Buchheit Courtway have pushed for these improvements as well.

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