ARC awards federal grant for FreedomFIBER

HAMILTON - The Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) has awarded a $774,912 grant to Tombigbee Electric for the ongoing project known as FreedomFIBER. The fiber optic network project will potentially provide high-speed broadband service to 925 unserved businesses and 30,495 households in areas of Marion, Fayette, Franklin, Lamar and Winston counties. According to ARC, the project capitalizes on an overall expected investment of $60 million from private and public sources and will enable service expansion to 116,000 residents through 2,000 miles of newly-constructed fiber over the next three years. According to Tombigbee Electric Cooperative Chief Executive Officer Steve Foshee, the cooperative has secured $6 million in grants and invested $22 million of its own capital toward completing the project.