Promoting Progress in Rural Arkansas: High-Speed Fiber Internet Launches in Johnson County

Brightspeed was joined by local and state leaders, community members, and partners in Johnson County (AR) to celebrate a milestone years in the making: the launch of multi-gig-speed fiber internet in Coal Hill, Hartman and surrounding rural areas. The ribbon-cutting ceremony brought together Mayor Ronnie Garner, Mayor Jackie Weathers, the Arkansas State Broadband Office, and residents who have long faced limited connectivity options in this part of the state. The broadband project was made possible through a combination of $470,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funding and Brightspeed’s continued investment in its fiber internet expansion across Arkansas. This funding is just a portion of the $294.6 million ARPA money Brightspeed was awarded to augment the company’s million-dollar fiber network deployment investment in 13 states, providing more than 140,000 Americans access to high-speed connectivity they don’t have today.