LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — After a six-month statewide study, Governor Asa Hutchinson has released key findings and recommendations from the state broadband internet report.
In October of 2021, the Broadband Development Group (BDG) was hired to conduct the study to develop a comprehensive master plan for broadband services across Arkansas. Broadband is high-speed internet access.
BDG hosted more than 300 community meetings in all 75 counties and received more than 18,000 surveys from Arkansas residents.
According to its findings, Arkansas currently has 210,000 underserved households,100,000 covered by a grant under the federal Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF). According to the governor, the state cannot fund grants to these areas because of the federal rules associated with this grant. Arkansas can address the gap in service of the remaining 110,000 households.
BDG reported that it could cost roughly $550 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) grants to provide broadband services for the remaining 110,000 underserved households.
Click here to read a complete summary of the findings from the group.
“I’m pleased to see the state broadband report and recommendations from Broadband Development Group,” Gov. Hutchinson said. “We’ve already made significant progress with an aggressive approach to getting broadband deployed to rural areas of Arkansas. I’m appreciative of the thorough report and recommendations of BDG, and I am particularly grateful for the partnership with the Arkansas General Assembly in getting ahead of the curve with an early start to deploying rural broadband. I look forward to expedited progress as we put into operation the recommendations and continue our partnership.”
The state could receive funding for broadband through the Coronavirus Capital Project Fund, Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, and a second installment of Arkansas Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds this summer.
The State Broadband office has given $386 million in grants through the Arkansas Rural Connect grant program.
“The broadband report recognizes the significant work we’ve done, and groundwork laid with the Arkansas Rural Connect grant program established by Governor Hutchinson in 2019,” said Secretary of Commerce Mike Preston. “We now have a roadmap and a detailed plan to fill the remaining gaps of the underserved areas of our state. We look forward to continuing to partner with Internet Service Providers (ISP’s), electric cooperatives, the legislature, and other key stakeholders, taking recommendations from this plan and updating the broadband rules.”
The Arkansas Department of Commerce plans to convene stakeholders next month to discuss the report and seek community feedback. You can find the full report and executive summary here.
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