Inside a crowded ballroom at the Renaissance Montgomery Hotel in downtown Montgomery, the stakeholders of Alabama’s fiber connectivity gathered on Monday for the inaugural Fiber Construction Supplier Inclusion Summit.

Among the all-day agenda were multiple presentations focusing on Alabama fiber initiatives and future outlook, workforce development and connectivity training, reliability, and a supplier exhibit and reception.

“This is the new highway,” said Jerime Reid, who serves as the COO for the city of Montgomery. “It’s the new interstate. It’s the new road to commerce. It’s the new connection to economic centers.”

Hosted by multiple partners including the Alabama Fiber Network and Alabama Power, the summit was aimed at connecting stakeholders and raising excitement, not only for the progress the state has made in terms of fiber connectivity, but also raising awareness for the work that will be done in the coming years.

In 2014, a study showed that 73% of Alabama residents did not have access to affordable broadband. Today, the number of citizens that have access to fiber has grown significantly. Alabama Fiber Network’s goal is to utilize over 3,000 miles of new and existing fiber lines to connect all 67 of the state’s counties — improving access across the state, especially in its more rural areas.

“Today’s event was a great opportunity to bring different people from around the state that are contributing to broadband and connectivity,” said Chris Skelton, who works as the chief technical officer at AFN. “Alabama has so many challenges — especially in the rural areas of the state — for not only the last-mile areas that need connectivity but also for some of the enterprise systems around Alabama. That would be anchor institutions such as colleges, hospitals, libraries, first responder networks.

“Alabama has such a need for improved connectivity — especially in the most rural areas of the state — so I think you’re seeing a large effort not only from the state from a legislative and a funding perspective, but also just the initiatives from member cooperatives, Alabama Power, Power South and other groups from around the state that are trying to promote improvements in broadband.”

To the state of Alabama, a greater availability of fiber means so much more than just improved internet speeds. The improved middle-mile network backbone will improve high-speed internet capacity in not just highly populated areas but rural vicinities, as well. This means better access to education in addition to equalizing opportunities.

Better broadband connectivity also means better opportunities for remote healthcare. Through telehealth, rural areas will have much greater access to quality healthcare. This, alongside improved capabilities for economic development and growth, will impact the state in immeasurable ways.

“It’s so important because it’s no longer a convenience — it’s really necessary for quality of life,” said Yvonne Essix, Alabama Power’s vice president of Transmission Construction & Protection and Control. “As we learned coming through the pandemic and as the world is moving forward quickly toward a more digital world, people need it for work, they need it to have access to education and so many other things. Growing up in a really small town here in Alabama, that is something that I am very passionate about. I get a chance to lead the team at Alabama Power that deploys fiber across our infrastructure and our network, and so it’s really exciting to me to be able to do that.

“Fiber helps to provide additional reliability and resiliency for our customers and to see that same infrastructure be able to help so many others outside of what we do on a routine basis is really exciting,” Essix said. “I’m really thankful and honored to be able to lead the team to do that.”

To learn more about the Alabama Fiber Network, click here. For more information about Alabama Power’s commitment to fiber, please click this link.

Alabama Fiber Network’s goal is to use more than 3,000 miles of new and existing fiber lines to connect all 67 of the state’s counties. (Joey Blackwell / Alabama News Center)

To the state of Alabama, a greater availability of fiber not only means better broadband but also improves access to education and better opportunities for remote healthcare. (Joey Blackwell / Alabama News Center)

The inaugural summit included presentations about Alabama fiber initiatives and future outlook, workforce development and connectivity training, reliability, and a supplier exhibit and reception. (Joey Blackwell / Alabama News Center)

The inaugural summit included presentations about Alabama fiber initiatives and future outlook, workforce development and connectivity training, reliability, and a supplier exhibit and reception. (Joey Blackwell / Alabama News Center)