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County says rural broadband build will reach most High Springs addresses by Q3
Summary
Alachua County reported that an ARPA‑funded build has placed fiber to the right‑of‑way for roughly 4,000 of 4,800 targeted unserved or underserved locations countywide, including most addresses in the High Springs project area; service activation and digital‑literacy trainings are planned.
Selena Bradford, speaking for Alachua County’s rural broadband program, updated the boards on a multi‑area ARPA‑funded build intended to bring fiber to underserved pockets of the county, including the northwest quadrant around High Springs.
Bradford said contractors have placed about 1.9 million feet of fiber (roughly 360 miles of construction) across the four project areas and that about 4,000 of the roughly 4,800 identified unserved/underserved locations already have fiber in the right‑of‑way. For the northwest/High Springs areas specifically she reported that approximately 1,700 residences are in the project scope and only about 125 remain without fiber to the ROW; the vendor expects to complete placement in the quadrant by the third quarter.
She cited sample retail pricing provided by a vendor (about $59/month for a baseline fixed service) and announced a schedule of upcoming digital‑literacy trainings and community sign‑up events to help residents connect once the fiber is live.
Why it matters: Greater fiber coverage is a direct infrastructure improvement for rural residents who previously relied on dial‑up or expensive satellite service. Officials said the project is a partnership with private providers (Kinetic/Windstream per county presentation) and that completion will enable schools, businesses and some telehealth and workforce uses previously constrained by connectivity.
