CULLMAN, Ala. – Regional internet provider Cyber Broadband, Inc. announced this week it will offer fiber-to-the-home internet to the Sipsey Pines community in 2020. CEO Jay Fuller said the project will provide state-of-the-art, fiber-to-the-home internet to approximately 200 homes in the unincorporated community on Smith Lake in Winston County.
The project will be partially funded by a grant provided by the Alabama Broadband Accessibility Fund, administered by the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA). The grant, in the amount of $113,680, will fund 20% of the cost of the new network, with the majority of the project being funded by Cyber Broadband, which applied for the grant in 2019 and was awarded the grant through a competitive application process.
The grant was only available to existing internet providers, and to areas unable to receive a minimum broadband speed set by the Federal Communications Commission.
Cyber Broadband currently provides high-speed internet via fixed wireless technology to several counties in northern Alabama, including Cullman, Franklin, Lawrence, Winston and Walker. The new fiber network will provide speeds up to 300 meg, with future upgrades allowing even higher speeds.
Fuller said Cyber Broadband started in 2004 with the intention of providing internet to rural and underserved communities in Cullman County.
“There is still more work to be done,” said Fuller. “We still have communities in northern Alabama that could benefit from our service.”
Cyber Broadband, Inc. is a member of the Wireless Internet Service Providers Association (WISPA) and FISPA. For more information, call 256- 734-1077 or visit www.cyberbroadband.net.
