According to a press release issued by Navajo County in July, the county is set to receive a nearly $20 million investment in broadband expansion. The funds, which include a $9.7 million grant from the Arizona Commerce Authority and an additional $10 million allocated by the Navajo County Board of Supervisors from ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) funds, will be used to construct a middle mile network that will bring internet access to cities and rural areas within the county. Private businesses will then be able to bring internet the “last mile” to homes, schools, and businesses.
Navajo County Capital Projects Manager Grant Evans explained that the county is building the infrastructure because it is not likely that the private sector would do so without a market to incentivize it. However, he added that three firms have already reached out to the county to express interest in entering the market once it becomes available.
Since the last press release, the county has learned that the funds from the Arizona Commerce Authority have yet to be approved by the Department of Treasury. Assistant County Manager Brian Layton expects that this approval will happen within the first couple of weeks of 2023. After six months of planning and design, construction is expected to begin in the summer of 2023. Layton stated that everything is in place for the project to hit the ground running as soon as the funds are made available to the county.
Originally, the county had partnered with WANRack to build the network and maintain it, but later decided to partner with EX Squared instead due to their ability to grow the commercial side of the project, which is crucial to the plan because internet service providers will oversee the delivery of such services.
The expansion of broadband access in Navajo County is expected to bring economic opportunities to the region and prepare it for a future workforce that is more remote. Evans remarked that currently the county would not be able to handle a remote workforce that may exist in the years to come. With the increased availability of high-speed internet, residents will have access to a wider range of services and resources, including telemedicine, online education and remote work options.
This project will also be joined to a similar broadband expansion happening in the Navajo Nation in Dilkon. The National Telecommunication and Information Administration awarded the Dilkon Chapter almost $34 million in grants for expansion of their broadband network. This will increase the resiliency and redundancy of high-speed internet in the region by establishing additional network connection points designed to prevent single points of failure.
