ARKANSAS BROADBAND – Glen Howie served in the Louisiana office of Broadband Development and Connectivity for the past year, the office is known simply as LA Connect. But he has since moved on and holds a new position as the director of the Arkansas State Broadband Office. During his recent appearance on Arkansas Public Media Content Partner Talk Business and Politics, Howie explains that the recently passed Bipartisan Infrastructure Law / The Biden Infrastructure and Jobs Act will provide Arkansas the funding necessary to bring high-speed digital broadband to the entire state.
“The state can look to receive about $1.2 billion that would be our estimate on that funding,” Howie said. ”So it would take about $600 million of that to connect the estimated 110,000 households that remain. We look at the remaining $600 million, of the other half that we’re going to have to really, really, really innovative.”
Howie expects the first phases of funding to be received in first quarter 2023. Since 2020 the Arkansas Broadband office has awarded more the $392 million in grants for broadband development.
