After Access: The Next Phase of Broadband Investment in Arkansas

For years, the conversation around broadband has focused on access—getting high-speed internet into the places that have gone without it for far too long. That work is finally happening at scale. Through the federal Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program, states like Arkansas are making a once-in-a-generation investment to close the digital divide. In Arkansas alone, more than $1 billion in funding will bring high-speed internet access to more than 79,000 homes and businesses, impacting nearly 200,000 Arkansans. That is a major step forward. But it raises an important question: What happens after access?