Central Alabama Electric Co-op says 5,503 Chilton County homes now can connect to Central Access; ADECA areas prioritized

Connie Bainbridge, Central Access representative for Central Alabama Electric Cooperative, told the Chilton County Commission on March 25 that Central Access currently has 5,503 active connections in Chilton County and about 20,000 connections across a system of 40,000 members, a roughly 50% take rate overall.

Bainbridge said the project is prioritizing areas covered by an ADECA (Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs) grant because the ADECA timeline is shorter and the county could forfeit state grant funds if ADECA deadlines are missed. She contrasted those ADECA zones with areas covered by RDOF (Rural Digital Opportunity Fund) awards, which have longer timelines; a different provider's RDOF award can block Central Access from serving an area until the RDOF term expires.

Bainbridge walked commissioners through the Central Access website's address-check tool and explained the difference among three results: "service available" (a drop can be placed and sign-ups started), "in a zone" with an estimated quarter (for example, "first quarter 2026") when drops will be placed, and "outside current construction plans" (citizens can register interest so the operator can determine demand for future expansion). She urged patience for residents whose fiber may be buried but not yet connected to a home while engineering and drop installation are completed.

Bainbridge said ADECA gives the co-op a two-year construction timeline and that Central Access has the ability to request a one-year extension but did not anticipate doing so; she said a second extension is possible only under special request. She told commissioners that a lack of grant funding makes serving very sparsely populated roads economically infeasible without local incentives or another funding source.

Bainbridge provided a county contact approach and offered her cell number on the record for residents needing help with the website and sign-up; she also said Central Access staff and contractors are active in local communities and that the co-op has handled some customer-service issues directly in areas not served by Central Alabama Electric's electrical service.

Why it matters High-speed fiber access affects economic development, telework and education. Central Access's prioritization of ADECA grant zones means some residents will access service sooner, but those in RDOF or outside current construction plans should register interest on the Central Access site to be considered for future buildouts.

Ending Bainbridge encouraged residents having difficulty with the online tool to call Central Access staff for help and said the co-op will continue construction work in Maplesville, Thorsby and Jemison as crews complete engineering and drop installs.