Phase 2 of internet project near Arley to be funded through grant

ARLEY   - Phase 2 of a multi-faceted project bringing high speed internet access to residents around Arley, will set 38 miles of fiber optic cable and service to 800 residents thanks to $2.35 million in state broadband funding administered by the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs.
Jay Fuller, president and CEO of Cyber Broadband, Inc., based in Cullman, noted the project would solely benefit residents in Winston County, where phase 1 of the internet project is already underway connecting residents in the Sipsey Pines subdivision of Smith Lake.
“The State of Alabama came up with another funding route, so we tried to expand upon the work we had done in phase 1 and created a phase 2,” Fuller pointed out.
Phase 2, which will pick up basically where phase 1 left off, will include not just residential areas in the Sipsey Pines area, but will extend out to Swayback Bridge to also cover Nesmith and Helicon.
State broadband funds will cover $824,000 of the project cost with a 35 percent match,  Fuller said.
“It will follow the same steps as phase 1 took, and will  tie into that existing broadband connection  at Sipsey Pines,” Fuller said.