(AP) – A yearslong project to implement high-speed internet
at every Arkansas school is expected to be complete before summer break ends.The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports Arkansas will be one of a handful of states that guarantees the service everywhere. The state is running fiber-optic cables from the Ozarks to the Delta to serve all of its nearly 477,300 students.The accomplishment is the result of an Arkansas Department of Information Systems project involving more than 20 telecommunications companies. The Federal Communications Commission largely funds the project through the federal E-Rate program.
The program was revamped in 2014 when the FCC increased its budget by $1.5 billion to $3.9 billion yearly.
California-based EducationSuperHighway founder Evan Marwell says the move led to increased participation nationwide, but that Arkansas began earlier and improved more than most.
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