SP Broadband, Inc. – locally known as Dragonfly Internet – announced that Governor Kay Ivey formally notified the company on March 23 that it had been awarded $57,614,607.62 in federal Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) funding to support its work in Monroe, Escambia, and Conecuh Counties. This investment, combined with Dragonfly’s own private funding, will allow the company to extend state-of-the-art internet service from the area’s larger towns into surrounding rural communities.
“Fast, reliable internet is no longer optional. It is a transformational service that empowers families, individuals, and businesses in this region to expand their opportunities for work, education, connection, healthcare, safety, and so much more,” said Dragonfly CEO David Hartin.
Dragonfly began planning and engineering this project 18 months ago and has already secured materials to ensure work can begin without delay. Installation is expected to start in late spring 2026, with project completion anticipated within 36-48 months.
As part of the effort, Dragonfly will invest $27 million in private funds across the three-county area. This is in addition to the $6 million they have already invested to deploy fiber in Monroeville, Excel, and Brewton.
In total, the company will construct 1,523 miles of fiber infrastructure across the three counties, bringing high-speed internet service to 7,931 rural homes.
The BEAD program has been compared to nation-building initiatives like the 1936 Rural Electrification Act (which brought electricity to rural areas) and construction of the Interstate Highway System between 1956 and 1992 that connected the entire country.
NOTE: The BEAD program is the federal government’s largest investment in broadband infrastructure in U.S. history. It is a $42.45 billion project that aims to connect every American to high-speed internet by funding partnerships to build infrastructure. The funds are administered by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), part of the Department of Commerce.
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About Dragonfly
Dragonfly Internet is a privately held, high-speed internet service provider headquartered in West Point, Georgia that serves subscribers in Monroe, Escambia, and Conecuh counties in Alabama. The company was founded in 2023 by the late Campbell B. “Cam” Lanier III, David Hartin, and Butch Brock as part of ITC Holding Company, LLC’s portfolio of businesses, which traces its history back 120 years to the Interstate Telephone Company. Dragonfly currently covers more than 20,000 homes.
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