JACKSON, Miss. – Governor Tate Reeves today 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). BEAM anticipates additional CPF projects to be approved on a rolling basis throughout the summer.
“We’re working hard to expand broadband infrastructure to all corners of Mississippi,” said Governor Tate Reeves. “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.”
Approved project locations by county:
- 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
These initial CPF projects will provide approximately $70.9 million of grant funding to build internet service to approximately 27,000 households in 19 counties across the state. Program guidelines from the US Department of Treasury require projects funded by CPF (the initial 24 and all future projects) to be completed by December 31, 2026.
The $162 million in CPF funding is only one of the investments in Mississippi broadband that is to be administered by BEAM. BEAM is currently overseeing the $32 million Broadband Infrastructure Program (BIP) projects (12 projects in 10 counties) that will be finished this fall. BEAM is also completing requirements to access $1.2 billion in funding provided by the federal Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) grant, and overseeing the $10.7 million State Digital Skills and Accessibility grant.
Citizens are encouraged to visit the Mississippi broadband map available at www.broadbandms.com. The map shows available service at each household, as well as locations that already have federal funding for service expansion. BEAM can also be reached by phone at 601-359-5029 or by email at info@beam.ms.gov if you have questions.