More than $247 million is being awarded through the Broadband Infrastructure Program, connecting more than 59,000 unserved and underserved businesses, homes, farms and anchor institutions like hospitals and libraries to high-speed Internet.
Infrastructure deployment through 63 strategic projects in 43 Florida counties ensures that Florida residents have reliable and efficient access to workforce, education and health monitoring opportunities for generations to come.
Among the local awards is $2M in Fort Myers, $120K in Immokalee, $600K in Bonita Springs and $2.1M in the Burnst Store Road corridor in Charlotte County.
These awards are in addition to more than $226 million in Broadband Opportunity Grant Funding already awarded to 53 counties awards to expand broadband Internet access to unserved areas across the state, connecting more than 250,000 homes and businesses. Additional funding will become available this year through new and existing programs.
"... Florida is expanding broadband Internet to small and rural areas of the state that will now have new accsess to critical resources,” said Florida Department of Economic Opportunity Secretary J. Alex Kelly. “Broadband Internet infrastructure will change the landscape and quality of life for Florida families and businesses, connecting them to workforce training, jobs, educational resources and telehealth services.”
The Florida Department of Commerce (FloridaCommerce) is hosting a series of public workshops to hear directly from Floridians about barriers to accessing broadband Internet service in their communities. The workshops will help inform Florida’s plan to access funding for the expansion of broadband Internet service, and the deployment of online devices and digital skills training. Find more information on the public workshops here.
The following Southwest Florida projects will be awarded through the Broadband Infrastructure Program:
- The unincorporated areas of Rotunda and Cleveland and parts of Charlotte County – ($3,085,000) to add 96.49 miles of fiber optic cable to provide 805 unserved locations within Charlotte County with symmetrical download and upload speeds of 1GB.
- Burnt Store Road corridor and US41/I75 corridors --- ($2,160,000) to add 92.1 miles of fiber optic cable to provide 1,268 unserved locations within Charlotte County with symmetrical download and upload speeds of 1GB.
- City of Immokalee – ($122,000) to add 61.93 miles of fiber optic cable to provide 242 unserved locations within Collier County with symmetrical download and upload speeds of 1GB.
- Unincorporated areas of Arcadia/East and Pine Level – ($2,550,000) to add 82.48 miles of fiber optic cable to provide 634 unserved locations within DeSoto County with symmetrical download and upload speeds of 1GB.
- Cities of Arcadia and Hull – ($3,490,000) to add 98.58 miles of fiber optic cable to provide 689 unserved locations within DeSoto County with symmetrical download and upload speeds of 1GB.
- Unincorporated community of Nocatee – ($2,600,000) to add 72.35 miles of fiber optic cable to provide 453 unserved locations within DeSoto County with symmetrical download and upload speeds of 1GB.
- City of Sebring – ($10,512,009.74) to add 1365.93 miles of fiber optic cable to provide 2,625 unserved locations within Hendry, Highlands, Glades and Okeechobee counties with symmetrical download and upload speeds of 1GB.
- Community of Crystal Lake – ($4,700,358.31) to add 5.9 miles of fiber optic cable to provide 520 unserved locations within Highlands County with symmetrical download and upload speeds of 1GB.
- Cities of Avon Park and Sebring and the town of Lake Placid – ($2,100,000) to add 95.83 miles of fiber optic cable to provide 1,118 unserved locations within Highlands County with symmetrical download and upload speeds of 1GB.
- City of Bonita Springs – ($612,830) to add 6.9 miles of fiber optic cable to provide 328 unserved locations within Lee County with symmetrical download and upload speeds of 100/100 megabits per second (Mbps).
- City of Fort Myers, the unincorporated areas of Lehigh Acres, North Fort Myers, Alva and Olga – ($2,050,000) to add 68.31 miles of fiber optic cable to provide 1,196 unserved locations within Lee County with symmetrical download and upload speeds of 1GB.
- Unincorporated town of Nokomis and unincorporated area of Englewood – ($743,022) to add 9.86 miles of fiber optic cable to provide 90 unserved locations within Sarasota County with symmetrical download and upload speeds of 1GB.
- Myakka State Park – ($705,088.35) to add 7.75 miles of fiber optic cable to provide 23 unserved locations within Sarasota County with symmetrical download and upload speeds of 1GB.
For more information about the Broadband Infrastructure Program, please visit the Broadband Infrastructure Program webpage.
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