Establishing a reliable, affordable broadband internet connection to meet the needs of even the most rural residents in Franklin County has been a hot topic this year. The appointed broadband taskforce has been hard at work searching for the best solution, and there is now progress that goes hand-in-hand with their work.

AT&T has rolled out a new service, Fixed Wireless Internet, that uses fiber optic cables and extends out to the more rural areas of the county.

AT&T regional director Dave Hargrove held a meeting at Macedonia Baptist Church in East Franklin, which is located near one of AT&T’s towers, to explain how AT&T is handling broadband internet.

“Right now there are three sites activated in Franklin County, and we plan to have more in 2018,” he said.

Hargrove said the “point-to-point” service involves a fiber connection to the cell site and a fiber back haul connection to the home or business that is receiving the service. He compared the size of the antenna that will be at the home or business to the size of a pizza box.

The minimum speed should be 10 megabits per second, Hargrove said.

This broadband service is part of AT&T’s FCC Connect America Fund commitment to provide “rural and underserved locations” with internet access. In Alabama there are nearly 1.7 million fiber optic strands through AT&T.

“Through this innovative service, we are helping close the remaining connectivity gap in Alabama,” Hargrove said.

State Rep. Johnny Mack Morrow, who has been a big proponent for rural broadband access, attended the meeting. He said he believes having rural access to broadband internet will bolster the community and business environment in Franklin County.

“Our elected officials work hard to create a favorable business environment, and I thank them for that,” Morrow said.

Negotiations are also still ongoing with Tombigbee Communications, which provides high-speed internet using its freedomFiber fiber optics service, according Katernia Cole-Coffey, who is on the broadband taskforce.