Alabama’s broadband build-out took another concrete step this month. On August 7, 2026, the state announced nearly $35.4 million in new grants under its Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) program, funding fiber and cable projects across four northeast Alabama counties. Providers are adding about $15.3 million of their own money, bringing the combined investment to roughly $50.7 million.
Who’s building what: the four-county breakdown
- Cherokee County — Spectrum Southeast: $606,230 in grant funds (plus $202,077 in matching funds) for 13 miles of fiber reaching 142 homes and businesses, 98 of them currently unserved. See our Spectrum plans and pricing overview.
- Cleburne County — Premier Broadband: the big one — $20.5 million (plus $6.8 million matching) for 216 miles of fiber serving 2,055 locations and 11 community anchor institutions such as schools and libraries.
- DeKalb County — Farmers Telecommunications Corporation: $2.6 million (plus $867,000 matching) for 49 miles of fiber reaching 263 locations, nearly all of them currently unserved.
- Etowah County — Comcast: $11.6 million (plus $7.4 million matching) for 210 miles of hybrid fiber-coaxial network serving 1,167 locations and 27 community anchor institutions. Comcast service in Alabama is sold under the Xfinity brand.
The bigger picture: Alabama’s $460 million broadband plan
These awards sit inside a much larger effort. Alabama’s final BEAD proposal won federal approval on March 23, 2026, unlocking nearly $460 million for 63 projects expected to reach about 92,000 locations statewide. Roughly 71% of those projects use fiber-optic lines, 24% rely on low-Earth-orbit satellite service, and 5% use hybrid fiber-coaxial systems — at an average cost of under $5,000 per location connected.
Contract development is underway as of mid-2026, and the program’s performance period runs through February 2030. One honest caveat from the state’s own guidance: that 2030 date is a program deadline, not a promise of when service reaches any individual address — some locations will come online much sooner, others later.
What this means if you live in Alabama
If you’re in Cherokee, Cleburne, DeKalb or Etowah County, real construction money is now attached to your area — fiber or upgraded cable is coming, though build-outs take time. If you need faster internet before the trenchers arrive, providers like AT&T, Spectrum and Xfinity already serve much of the state, and satellite options can bridge the gap in rural areas. Availability is address-specific, so the fastest way to see your real options is to check what serves your exact location.