Florida Rural Broadband Alliance
Large portions of the northwestern and south-central regions of Florida have been designated by the Governor as Rural Areas of Critical Economic Concern (RACECs) due to a disparity in income and access to education and healthcare services. Community anchor institutions in these RACECs often lack the necessary broadband infrastructure to thrive in the modern economy. The Florida Rural Broadband Alliance’s Florida Rural Middle Mile Networks project proposes to deploy an 1,800-mile microwave-based middle-mile network across two of Florida’s three RACECs to support and improve healthcare, educational opportunities, library services, economic development, and public safety services. The Florida Rural Broadband Alliance brings together multiple local and tribal governments, economic development agencies, and commercial partners in a collaborative effort to address the unmet broadband needs of this area of the state.