The Utah Broadband Center (UBC) has important updates about significant progress on its Broadband Access Grant projects.
The Broadband Access Grant is an American Rescue Plan Act-funded grant that set aside $10 million to help households and businesses impacted by COVID-19.
The UBC awarded the grant to the following subgrantees:
- All West Communications
- Box Elder County Government
- CentraCom Interactive
Beehive Broadband placed 36,000 feet of fiber In Mantua, installed 72 handholes for splice enclosures, and completed 100% of all aerial pole attachments.
Meanwhile, All West Communications installed all 4.38 miles of engineered fiber in Croydon, installed the main FDC cabinet, and attached 12 homes to the network in preparation for internet activation.
In the towns of Meadow and Kanosh, CentraCom worked diligently to construct a network of ducts to provide middle-mile fiber to reach these communities. They have already installed fiber in 12 homes in the tribal community. Now, they serve the towns with a robust wireless backbone that will be enhanced to 1G symmetrical service when the fiber middle-mile is completed.
These projects will connect over 800 residences in rural Utah with 1G symmetrical broadband service by the end of the year. The grant program has significantly improved the broadband outlook in rural Utah and given residents hope they will soon join the ranks of served broadband subscribers.