Twelve New Broadband Projects Approved

JACKSON, MS - The Office of Broadband Expansion and Accessibility of Mississippi (BEAM) recently approved 12 broadband infrastructure projects totaling $32.5 million to be funded by the Capital Projects Fund (CPF).

“Mississippi continues to make incredible progress when it comes to expanding broadband across the state,” said Governor Tate Reeves. “These twelve projects will go a long way toward ensuring Mississippians have the broadband access they need.”

Approved project locations by county:

• Amite County - Swyft Fiber
• Calhoun County - Bruce Telephone Company
• Covington County - Swyft Fiber
• Hinds County - CSpire
• Jasper County - TEC
• Lamar County - CSpire
• Lawrence County - TEC
• Leake County - TEC
• Panola County - TVI Fiber
• Pontotoc County - We Connect Communications
• Scott County - TEC
• Tate County - CSpire
• Tate County - TVI Fiber

These 12 CPF projects will provide $32.5 million of grant funding to build internet services to approximately 9,000 households in portions of 12 counties across the state. Last year BEAM approved 37 other CPF projects totaling $100 million to serve approximately 42,000 households across the state.

Additionally, BEAM has made $878,000 in awards in a smaller CPF category for public wi-fi projects. These funds were applied for by and awarded to internet providers to build wi-fi in public places (downtowns, parks, volunteer fire stations, etc.) for individuals to utilize for school, telehealth, or similar uses.

Program guidelines from the US Department of Treasury require all projects funded by CPF to be completed by December 31, 2026.

Mississippi’s $162 million in CPF funding is only one of the investments in Mississippi broadband that is to be administered by the BEAM office. BEAM is currently overseeing the $32 million Broadband Infrastructure Program (BIP) projects (14 projects in 10 counties) that are all nearing completion. BEAM is also completing requirements to access $1.2 billion in funding provided by the federal Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) grant, and overseeing the $10.7 million State Digital Skills and Accessibility grant - both from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration.

Citizens are encouraged to visit the Mississippi broadband map available at www.broadbandms.com. The map shows available service at each household, as well as locations that already have federal funding for service expansion. BEAM can also be reached by phone at 601-359-5029 or by email at [email protected] if you have questions.