On Wednesday, the Alabama Digital Expansion Division of the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA) announced that it has recently launched the Alabama Anchor Institution/Middle-Mile Program (AIMM). The purpose of AIMM is to provide grants to support the deployment of middle-mile broadband infrastructure to anchor institution facilities with a need for service.
Anchor institutions include universities, community colleges, rural hospitals, government and municipal buildings like courthouses, circuit clerk offices, city halls, and public safety facilities such as police stations, fire stations, and jails.
Several anchor institutions with concerns about service have already approached the Alabama Digital Expansion Division.
These include:
Washington County Circuit Clerk
45 Court Street
Chatom, AL 36518-0548
Choctaw County Circuit Clerk
117 South Mulberry Avenue
Butler, AL 36904
Bullock County Circuit Clerk
217 North Prairie Street
PO Box 230
Union Springs, AL 36089-0230
Lowndes County Circuit Clerk
1 South Washington Street
Hayneville, AL 36040-0876
Greene County Circuit Clerk
400 Morrow Avenue
Eutaw, AL 35462
Cherokee County Circuit Clerk
100 Main Street
Centre, AL 35960-1510
J. Paul Jones Hospital
317 McWilliams Avenue
Camden, AL 36726
Broadband providers and contractors may wish to contact one or more of these anchors to determine whether they can address their needs. ADECA will continue to share with all potential AIMM applicants information regarding anchor institutions that express interest in the AIMM Program or concerns about inadequate service.
ADECA has been accepting AIMM applications beginning on August 14, 2023. The deadline to turn in completed applications is no later than 11:59 p.m. (Central) on October 13, 2023.
Any application received by ADECA after the deadline will not be considered. Applications and all supporting documentation must be submitted to ADECA by email to broadband.fund@adeca.alabama.gov.
For more information about the program, please visit their website or contact broadband.fund@adeca.alabama.gov.
Governor Kay Ivey has made expanding rural broadband a major priority of her administration. This effort has been boosted by $hundreds of millions of federal dollars from the Biden and Trump administrations.
In June, the U.S. Department of Commerce announced it would send $1.4 billion to Alabama to boost the ongoing broadband expansion efforts. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration released the state allocations from the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program. ADECA, which oversees state broadband initiatives, is administering the grant funds.
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