Arizona Governor Announces Major New Investments in Rural Broadband

PHOENIX — Arizona Governor Doug Ducey announced tens of millions of dollars in new investments to connect rural Arizona to fast, reliable internet.

"We need to connect all parts of our growing state," said Governor Ducey. "Rural areas still lack high-speed Internet. Let’s triple our investment in Rural Broadband Grants, and also invest $50 million in Smart Highway Corridors to install broadband along our rural interstates. This will make our highways safer and smarter than ever before and pave the way to get all of rural Arizona logged on."

Smart Highway Corridors

Nearly $50 million in funding for Smart Highway Corridors will enable the Arizona Department of Transportation to install over 500 miles of broadband conduit and fiber optic cable along designated highway segments throughout rural areas of the state. The new corridors will improve highway safety while providing future broadband capacity for smart infrastructure projects in Arizona's rural and tribal areas. Designated areas for investment include:

• Interstate 7 between Sunset Point and Flagstaff;

• Interstate 40 between the Arizona-New Mexico and Arizona-California borders;

• And Interstate 19 between Tucson and Nogales.

Broadband Enhancement:

Governor Ducey also announced an additional $10 million in Rural Broadband Development Grants, more than three times last year's investment. The funding will accelerate the enhancement of broadband infrastructure and enhance economic growth and quality of life in rural areas. Last year's additional investmentsalone helped fund projects such as:

• Providing high-speed fiber cable service to approximately 400 business customers in Payson, Star Valley and Tonto Apache Tribe;

• Providing high-speed broadband service at speeds up to 10 Gbps symmetrical to roughly 35,000 residents in Bullhead City, Fort Mohave and Mohave Valley;

• Creating a new fiber-optic middle mile to Page to serve 310 small businesses and 1,066 households in the area.