Now is the time to mark your calendar for the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA) Alabama Broadband Accessibility Fund Application Workshop coming up on March 31st.

Since 2018, ADECA has been working to provide quality broadband services to underserved areas in the state. These areas are defined as places that currently have less than 25 Mbps of download speeds and less than 3 Mbps of upload speeds. So far, ADECA has awarded grants for more than 90 projects that are helping expand broadband access. However, there is still a lot of work to be done for the state to eliminate its digital divide. In an effort to bring more attention to this issue, ADECA released the state’s first broadband map, which Thrive assisted in creating, at the beginning of the year. This interactive map provides details for broadband providers and community members to clearly see which areas are still lacking in proper broadband connectivity. ADECA is now ready to accept additional applications to complete projects in areas that are still classified as underserved.

For individuals and broadband providers interested in attending this workshop, you are invited to join ADECA either in-person at the Center for Commerce in Montgomery, AL, or virtually through Microsoft Teams. The event will begin promptly at 10:00 am. Anyone who plans to attend virtually needs to email Broadband.Fund@adeca.alabama.gov to receive login information. 

If you are unable to attend, you will be able to re-watch the workshop and Q&A session online following the event by visiting https://adeca.alabama.gov/broadband-webinars-and-workshops/. 

For more information about ADECA’s Alabama Broadband Accessibility Fund, visit https://adeca.alabama.gov/broadband.