More than $70 million is going towards expanding broadband in approximately 27,000 households across the state of Mississippi.
On Tuesday, Governor Tate Reeves announced that the Office of Broadband Expansion and Accessibility of Mississippi (BEAM) recently approved 24 broadband infrastructure projects to be funded by the Capital Projects Fund (CPF). The announcement also noted that more projects are expected to be approved throughout the summer.
The announcement follows BEAM executive director Sally Doty stating last month that the office was in the process of collecting large-scale funding for an array of projects.
“We’re working hard to expand broadband infrastructure to all corners of Mississippi,” Reeves said. “Digital infrastructure is redefining our economy, and we want to ensure every Mississippian has reliable broadband access. These projects will be critical to our state’s efforts, and I look forward to seeing the positive impact that they will have on Mississippi.”
The initial projects from the CPF allocate an estimated $70.9 million of grant funding to expand and improve internet service across the state. All projects funded by the CPF are required to be complete by December 26, 2026, per the U.S. Department of Treasury.
$162 million in CPF funding invested in Mississippi broadband access is just one part of a larger group of projects administered by BEAM. Additionally, BEAM is also overseeing the $32 million Broadband Infrastructure Program (BIP), with 12 projects in 10 counties that will be finished this fall.
The office is also completing requirements to access $1.2 billion of funding provided by the federal Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) grant, as well as overseeing the $10.7 million State Digital Skills and Accessibility grant.
Approved project locations in Mississippi counties are as follows:
- Coahoama/Tunica/Quitman: Uplink LLC
- Copiah/Hinds: Comcast
- Covington/Jones/Perry: DE Fastlink
- DeSoto: AT&T (multiple projects) & C Spire
- Hinds: East of Terry – C Spire (multiple projects) & AT&T
- Jefferson: Swyft Connect
- Lawrence/Walthall: Conexon
- Lincoln: Conexon (multiple projects) & Franklin Telephone
- Madison: Comcast
- Neshoba: AT&T
- Rankin: AT&T
- Rankin/Simpson: Comcast
- Sunflower: Delta Fiber
- Walthall: Conexon
- Wilkinson: Swyft Connect
To view available service in households across the state, as well as locations that already have federal funding for service expansion, Mississippians can visit broadbandms.com.
