Mississippi Announces $70.9M CPF Awards
The money will connect 27,000 households across 19 counties to high-speed internet.
Taormina Falsitta
June 20, 2024 – The Office of Broadband Expansion and Accessibility of Mississippi approved a $70.9 million investment for 24 broadband projects across the state, funded through the Capital Projects Fund on Tuesday.
Internet service providers will build out high-speed internet connectivity through 24 broadband infrastructure projects spanning 19 counties. Additional projects are expected to receive approval over the summer.
The ISPs receiving the money include AT&T, Cspire, Comcast, DE Fastlink, Conexon, Delta Fiber, Franklin Telephone, Swyft Connect, and Uplink.
This initiative aims to deliver high-speed broadband to approximately 27,000 households across the designated counties. Gov. Tate Reeves said that “one’s zip code shouldn’t determine their access to the full range of benefits technology has to offer.”
The CPF’s $162 million investment represents one of three key initiatives enhancing Mississippi broadband, as directed by BEAM. This includes a $32 million Broadband Infrastructure Program with 12 projects across 10 counties. BEAM is striving to secure $1.2 billion from the federal Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment grant, while managing $10.7 million in State Digital Skills and Accessibility grants.