Your Location

Sparklight Business

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

Sparklight Business® Works to Bridge the Digital Divide in Gila County

 

July 15, 2020 – Phoenix, Arizona – Sparklight Business is working to bridge the digital divide in Gila County with a $29 million expansion project that will improve high-speed internet access for schools, libraries and businesses throughout the county.

With funding from three agencies, Sparklight Business is extending its fiber network from Show Low in order to provide high-speed internet to communities across Gila County, including Payson, Heber-Overgaard and Star Valley. At more than 200 route miles and nearly 29,000 fiber miles, this is one of the largest, single-fiber construction projects Sparklight has executed.

“We have witnessed firsthand just how critical a reliable and robust connection to the internet has become during the COVID-19 pandemic and we are committed to ensuring schools and businesses have the access they need by extending our network to these locations,” said Chris Boone, Vice President of Business Services for Sparklight. “We thank the multiple partners and agencies that have helped us make this extensive and necessary project a reality and are excited to see the benefit it brings to these rural communities.”

The expansion projects currently underway:

 

Jacque Sanders, County Librarian with the Gila County Library District said community members rely on libraries for internet to perform a variety of tasks, which can include filling out job applications, forms related to benefits and more. With library doors currently closed, she said there has been an increase in residents accessing WiFi from library parking lots in order to perform these critical tasks.

“I have one library on a T1 line because that’s all that we have available,” Sanders said. “We look forward to having the upgraded service that Sparklight Business will be able to deliver through the eRate grant. Community access to reliable internet is more important now than ever.”

Businesses can visit business.sparklight.com for more details.

###

About Sparklight Business

Sparklight Business, formerly Cable ONE Business, serves more than 70,000 businesses across a 21-state region, providing superior communication solutions at an affordable price and backing those solutions with the highest level of customer service and technical support. Products include high-speed internet, phone and cable TV for businesses of all sizes.

 

CONTACT:
Tammy Gabel
Communications Manager
602.364.6712
tamara.gabel@sparklight.biz