Alabama Statewide Middle Mile Network Reaches Major Milestone

WASHINGTON, Oct. 8, 2024 – The Alabama Fiber Network has successfully completed phase one of its middle-mile broadband project, covering 38 of Alabama's 67 counties. 

Representing 67% of the total project, the achievement marked significant progress in delivering a resilient, high-speed Internet network that will benefit communities statewide. The project will eventually deliver a 6,600-mile open-access, middle-mile network reaching all 67 counties.

AFN's infrastructure aims to provide at least 400 Gigabits of capacity per county, with the potential to scale up to 24 Terabits per second, offering strong support to broadband providers as well as public safety, education, healthcare, and economic development initiatives.

AFN CEO Terry Metze praised the team's efforts. "We set an ambitious goal of lighting half of our sites by Sept. 30, and we’ve accomplished that goal," he said.

Funded with $82.5 million from the state’s American Rescue Plan Act allocation, AFN's middle-mile network provides was also designed to support broadband providers as well as public safety, education, healthcare, and economic development initiatives.

AFN this summer celebrated the official launch of the network and announced it’s first last-mile customer, Sprout Fiber Network at 100 Gigabits. Since then, AFN had added four additional 100 Gigabit customers.

AFN's growth is particularly timely, as Alabama will soon receive $1.4 billion from the Biden-Harris administration’s Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program.

“We’re going to keep the momentum going,” said Metze. “We have many more ambitious goals and we’ll keep hitting the mark until we connect every corner of the state."