Alabama researchers say the state has come a long way toward getting high-speed internet to every home, but they warn that big gaps remain, especially in the Black Belt, and the hardest work is still ahead.
A new report from the University of Alabama’s Education Policy Center and Center for Business and Economic Partnership in partnership with AL.com details how the state has made progress since 2018 and what challenges lie ahead. In a briefing with reporters, researchers described Alabama’s progress as meaningful but uneven.
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The report shows that Alabama has leveraged nearly $2.5 billion of state and federal money into broadband since 2018. Federal funds account for $1.9 billion and the state has invested $585 million.
One major milestone is already done: Alabama has finished building a “middle-mile” fiber network that reaches all 67 counties.
The middle-mile is the broadband equivalent of building out the interstate system. The main routes are in place, but the local roads — the last-mile lines that run into homes and businesses — still need to be constructed before underserved communities can benefit.
Last-mile work: ‘uneven’
And while the middle-mile work has been successful in providing the foundational infrastructure, last-mile work has been uneven.
Some rural counties have seen remarkable gains. Lamar County — considered part of the Black Belt region in the report — went from 39% of residents having access to high-speed internet in 2020 to 100% in 2024.
Greene County went from just 2% to 58% and Choctaw county, which had virtually no broadband service five years ago, now has just under a quarter of households covered.
Perry County has not seen the same gains, though. In 2020, no households had broadband and that rose to only 9% in 2024.
Despite the success in some Black Belt counties, the region as a whole still lags behind the rest of the state. Only 76% of homes there have access to high-speed internet, compared to 87% statewide and 94% nationally.
Maps included in the report show that much of Alabama’s land area remains “unserved” or “underserved” — places where half or more households still lack a basic broadband connection and where the state’s efforts should now be focused.
Garrett Till, one of the report’s authors, said the findings clearly point to where remaining investments should go.
“This data is directing where the next waves of funding must be prioritized to close that last-mile gap and achieve the governor’s goal of connecting every single Alabamian with high-speed internet access,” he said.
Researchers also emphasized that the definition of basic broadband has changed over time, States now use a higher benchmark — 100/20Mbps, meaning 100 megabits per second download and 20 Mbps upload.
Alabama is now waiting for federal approval of its plan to spend a portion of an allocated $1.4 billion under the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program, the next major pot of money intended to reach the homes that still lack service.
The state currently has plans to spend $531 million and its unclear much of the remaining allocation can ultimately be used, Caroline Stratton said. She is the research director for the Benton Institute, a policy organization focused on broadband access.
Reid Sharkey, also of the Benton Institute, said recent federal policy changes about how broadband projects are considered could significantly alter Alabama’s plans.
“This is going to decrease the amount of fiber projects that are proposed by service providers and increase the amount of satellite projects,” he said.
Those changes could leave some rural areas with slower, less reliable options and may require the state to adjust parts of its proposal.
The report stressed the need for close oversight of how funding is used.
“Intentional investment is needed to ensure all Alabamians can utilize new infrastructure,” the authors wrote, emphasizing that broadband access is only meaningful when people can use it for work, telehealth, education and daily life.
‘Signature priorities’
Gov. Kay Ivey has made broadband one of her signature priorities, and researchers credited her administration with helping Alabama move faster than many other states. But they said momentum must continue beyond Ivey’s term and into the next administration.
Education Policy Center Associate Director Nathaniel Bray said the state cannot afford to pause.
“Alabama needs its next governor to build on the success and continue to push it forward, finish the job because it’s a job that just keeps evolving,” Bray said. “Because if you don’t keep pushing it forward, you’re just falling behind.”
Center Director Stephen Katsinas agreed.
“We’ve made a lot of progress, but the target’s moving, and we have to move with it,” he said.
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by Trisha Powell Crain and originally published by Alabama Daily News.
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