Almost $25 million in grants were awarded late last week to expand broadband services throughout Alabama. Nine grants totaling $24.72 million were given to broadband providers, but Limestone County did not receive any of the grant money.

According to ADECA’s website, since 2018, grants have been awarded to 52 counties in the state of Alabama but none awarded to providers for projects within Limestone County.

The News Courier reached out to ADECA to ask what providers had applied for the latest round of grants, where those providers intended to expand broadband in Limestone, and why they were denied.

Josh Carples, Communications and Public relations Coordinator for ADECA, said, “In response to the most recent Alabama Broadband Accessibility Fund round, ADECA received two applications from broadband providers seeking to serve portions of Limestone County. Ardmore Telephone Company Inc. submitted an application seeking to serve parts of north Limestone County. Spectrum Southeast LLC. submitted an application seeking to serve different areas throughout all of Limestone County.”

He added, “ADECA received 61 applications for funding in this most recent round, and all compliant applications were carefully reviewed by an experienced team according to the published Alabama Broadband Accessibility Fund rating criteria. The requests far exceeded the available grant funds. Following this review, these two applications were among those not selected for the funding available in this most recent round.”

District 4 Commissioner LaDon Townsend is hopeful that Limestone will be awarded grant money this summer.

“I am very disappointed that we were not selected in this round with all the citizens over here that do not have broadband or any other type of internet. With us being the fastest growing county in the state, I am very disappointed,” Townsend said.

Limestone County’s Districts 3 and 4 are perhaps the two districts in the county with the least access to high speed internet and in many places no access to any internet.

“We have areas where they can’t get anything. Kids are having to go to school or to McDonald’s to sit in the parking lot to do their homework.” Townsend said. “I was really thinking that we would get in on this one and we will have boots on the ground by the end of this summer and start running broadband to the people. That’s what I was hoping for, but we got overlooked on it.”

District 3 Commissioner Derrick Gatlin expressed his disappointment and wants to “dig into it” before speaking about the decision but does recognize the importance of broadband accessibility in his district.

“I am disappointed, but that is still something we are going to work on for the folks who live in the rural areas. There are several places, especially in the south part of the district that don’t have access so it is important to get some broadband to them,” Gatlin said.