Public hearings set for $25M rural broadband program

State officials will hold two public hearings in November to finalize rules for a proposed $25 million rural broadband program that Gov. Asa Hutchinson announced earlier this year.

Hearings, scheduled for Nov. 12-13, will be held in Little Rock from 8:30-11 a.m. in the Bessie Moore conference room at the Arkansas State Library. Rules for the Arkansas Connect Rural Broadband Grant Program will be finalized soon after and funding could begin by early December, according to Nathan Smith, manager of the program.

The funding formula calls for cities and towns to partner with internet service providers to apply for financial support. “We want to encourage [providers] to partner with towns to make sure they build a program that supports the vision of local leaders,” Smith said. “There are important choices to be made about what kind of program that is best for a local area.”

For example, applicants will have to decide whether to deploy fiber-optic lines or fixed wireless or to upgrade existing cable already in place to deliver broadband services.

Arkansas legislators have appropriated $5.7 million for the program, with the remaining funding scheduled to be considered by legislators in the 2020 session.

Public comments will provide feedback to detail how the program will be rolled out, according to Smith.

“The rules will help us make sure we get this targeted to the right places and that we make good use of the taxpayers’ money,” he said. “The precise implementation of the program isn’t pinned

down at this point.”

Smith predicts about 50120 communities across Arkansas will be eligible to apply. Under the program, internet service providers are

given financial subsidies for delivering broadband to underserved areas. The providers are reimbursed for their capital expenditures.

Minimum service levels for broadband deployment under the state program will require 25 megabits per second for download speed and

3 megabits per second for upload.

Eligibility requirements likely will be based on population and current service levels, Smith said. “We also want to make sure all geographic areas of the state will be eligible for some funding,” he added.

Hutchinson’s original proposal said communities with at least 500 people would be eligible to apply for financial support. The broadband program notes that expanded service will support educational, health care and economic development opportunities across the state.