Florida Rural Broadband Alliance Project

Purpose: Provide cost-effective broadband infrastructure and high capacity to 15 counties located in northwest and heartland Florida who are currently without service or underserved, to advance economic opportunity, and serve anchor institutions and Last Mile providers.

Project: Deploys the "Middle Mile" of critical infrastructure that links large-scale service providers with local, retail service providers. The network will deploy microwave, fixed wireless architecture and other technology.

Who: Florida Rural Broadband Alliance, LLC (FRBA) was formed in March 2010 between two non-profit economic development corporations; Florida's Heartland REDI (Regional Economic Development Initiative) in south central Florida, and Opportunity Florida in northwest Florida.

Area of Impact: Northwest Rural Area of Critical Economic Concern, and South Central Rural Area of Critical Economic Concern.

Communities Served: Those within Calhoun, Collier, DeSoto, Franklin, Gadsden, Glades, Gulf, Hardee, Hendry, Highlands, Holmes, Jackson, Liberty, Okeechobee and Washington counties.

Community Benefits:

  • Creates Economic Opportunities
  • Creates 76 direct jobs and 122 indirect jobs
  • Advances Delivery of Critical Government Services
  • Enhances Delivery of Outreach and Support Services such
  • Promotes and Provides More Educational Opportunities
  • Improves Public safety
  • Provides Better Emergency Services
  • Improves Healthcare services

Network Capacity

  • Initial offerings 600Mbps to 1Gbps
  • 11,255 Square Miles
  • 453,926 Total Population
  • 174,472 Households
  • 865 Community Anchor Institutions and Public Safety Entities
  • 16,440 Businesses

Funding:  $24 million. Part of the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program as part of the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Stimulus Package. Required 30 percent cost match is in the form of cash and in-kind assets and services of the participating communities, the Hardee County Industrial Development Authority and the Project Partner and Rapid Systems, Inc.

Timeframe: The grant was awarded August 2010 and should be completed in 2013.