Last week, the Edison Electric Institute, in partnership with the National League of Cities, kicked off its Emerging Tech webinar series by hosting “Equity in Broadband Deployment: Innovative Partnerships to Bridge the Digital Divide.”

Moderated by John Smola, Alabama Power’s director of Business Transformation and Administration, the webinar highlighted the need for broadband options and accessibility for people in Alabama and across the nation – particularly in more remote, rural areas, as well as in low-income urban communities – to lead healthy and productive lives.

The panel discussed the progress the Alabama Legislature, Alabama municipalities and public-private partners have made to expand access to those areas and the various economic, policy and infrastructure challenges that have yet to be tackled.

Panelists included:

• Clay Scofield, majority leader, Alabama Senate.
• Bobby Singleton, minority leader, Alabama Senate.
• Mayor Terrence Windham of Aliceville.
• Ben Moncrief, managing director for Alabama, C Spire.

“Connectivity drives our economy,” Smola said. “Teamwork is required from businesses, local leaders and all levels of government to bridge the (digital) divide. It’s not just a local issue and it’s not just a government issue. It requires leaders to have open lines of communication with the right partners.”

Alabama Power, in concert with local and state government and telecommunications companies, has been a leader in developing innovative solutions and partnerships to expand access to high-speed internet in its service territory, providing a critical digital lifeline today and for the future. The webinar highlighted these efforts as a best practice for other utilities across the nation.

Company efforts include partnerships with telecommunications companies like C Spire and Point Broadband to contract for a portion of Alabama Power’s fiber infrastructure to help expand broadband to areas throughout the state.

In addition, the Alabama Legislature has developed cutting-edge policy solutions, including House Bill 400 (the Broadband Using Electric Easement Accessibility Act) and Senate Bill 90 (the Alabama Broadband Accessibility Fund), to encourage expansion of access to broadband. By mobilizing key stakeholders and legislators to garner bipartisan support for the package, the Alabama Rural Broadland Coalition secured this transformational legislation, which Gov. Kay Ivey signed into law in May 2019.

Ben Moncrief, managing director for Alabama at C Spire, was part of the panel. (contributed)

Moncrief, who has been instrumental in some of the first efforts by C Spire to bring broadband to cities such as Jasper and Trussville, explained that now is an exciting and challenging time for broadband expansion, noting that Alabama is in the worst position for fiber access in the Southeast.

“In Mississippi, almost 50% of homes have access to fiber, while in Alabama that number is less than 30% right now,” Moncrief said. “Take Huntsville out of that calculation, and that number drops below 20%. It’s an enormous opportunity.”

Moncrief added that the good news is Alabama has legislative, community and executive leaders who recognize the lack of access and, over the past couple of years, have taken  important steps to encourage investment in rural and urban areas across the state.

Alabama’s growing enthusiasm and support for these efforts are evident in the prioritization by state lawmakers of policies focused on growing the state’s economy and elevating its communities, including grant funding to provide minimum service to rural areas and expanding the definition of an “unserved area” under the Alabama Broadband Accessibility Act.

“A lot of people ask why we are focusing on this (in Alabama), and I believe in a rising tide lifts all boats,” Scofield said. “A lot of areas still aren’t covered, and when you look at this, it can act as a great equalizer.”

The pandemic has made clear the need for broadband options and accessibility. As children continue school through virtual learning, many jobs across the country are fully remote, and safe access to health care facilities is limited or risky. These challenges make access to quality broadband of paramount importance to cities of all sizes.

Underlining the need for access to health care and telemedicine technology, Scofield pointed out the revelation of a resident in his rural district having the opportunity to have a health screening with a specialist without having to leave their home.

“That is a big deal that for a lot of our small towns that do not have health care amenities. Access to high-speed broadband opens the world up to those areas. It’s imperative that the state makes this a priority.”

Windham agreed that broadband access is essential for citizens to thrive.

“Broadband is a simple lifeline we need to survive as a city,” Windham said. “However, access is not as simple as making the service available in an area. It’s a balancing act to get the service and get it at a rate everyone can participate in.”

Windham shared that one challenge small cities with limited resources face is having the time, money and resources to apply for grants and establish strong partnerships at the grassroots level.

The answer, the panel members agreed, is open communication and partnerships among federal and state legislators, local officials, businesses and rural electric co-ops.

Moving forward, the goal is to continue getting as many of these groups as possible on board to support the work and progress that has been made.

“We want to touch every corner of the state at a reasonable cost for customers,” said Singleton. “We have a good plan. It just has to be executed.”

Singleton added that collectively, Alabama has to keep looking at policy and looking at the best technology, continue to study and assess progress, and then set a plan to give direction on how to invest and measure the return on that investment.

“We’re proud of what we’re building here in terms of the conversations we are having, that we weren’t having before,” Singleton said. “The pandemic has shown us where we are. We are moving in the right direction to do something right in this state.”