Monticello, Arkansas is an economic and educational hub in the Southeastern part of our state, with a great quality of life in a small-town setting. The City – and indeed all of Drew County – is a great place to start or grow a business, live, work and play. Access to high-speed internet connectivity can make this area even stronger.
That’s why on December 4, I was excited to join my colleagues from AT&T, including our AT&T Fiber team, to announce the expansion of our AT&T Fiber network in the Monticello area.
AT&T Fiber is now available to more than 1,000 new residential and business locations in Monticello. The expanded network will give more customers access to super-fast internet speeds up to 5-Gigs.1 All told, more than 1,400 customer locations across Monticello currently have access to AT&T Fiber with more expected soon.
This investment in our network in the Monticello area will have many benefits for residents and businesses in the area.
- It’s good for economic development – connecting existing businesses and attracting new ones.
- It’s great for education, giving students more access to all that the internet has to offer.
- Residents will be able to better access healthcare services from doctors online here in town, across the state or around the country.
- Our farm families will have more tools and faster connections to maximize their crop yields, for example, monitor weather and other conditions, analyze data and much more.
- Better connectivity means more efficient delivery of government services – something that I know is important to our elected leaders who joined us.
- And, more access can level the playing field, giving people in more rural areas access to the same opportunities as those in larger communities.
In general, this added connectivity will add to the overall quality of life for our families, friends and neighbors here in Monticello.
State Senator Ben Gilmore, who has been a champion for broadband expansion in Arkansas, told the audience that our “fiber expansion in Monticello is great news for residents and businesses in the city.”
State Representative Jeff Wardlaw said that “AT&T’s private investment in Monticello will help Monticello continue to thrive.”
Drew County Judge Jessie Griffin was on hand for the celebration and said “AT&T’s expansion will help our region maintain its competitive edge.”
Mayor Jason Akers also took time out of his schedule to visit with us about the investment in the city and region. He said “AT&T’s investment in Monticello makes our city even stronger.”
We’re also grateful to Glenda Nichols from the Monticello-Drew County Chamber and Nita McDaniel from the Monticello Economic Development Commission for joining us to celebrate this fiber expansion announcement.
You can watch a video of the event here.
This expansion is another example of our commitment to Arkansas.
From 2019-2023, AT&T invested nearly $1.2 billion in our wireless and wireline networks in Arkansas, which has increased reliability, coverage and overall performance for residents and businesses.
We are continually working to help close the digital divide by expanding our fiber footprint and delivering ultra-fast internet that keeps residents and businesses connected. We are committed to investing in the modern, high-speed network infrastructure necessary in today’s economy – and to working with business, civic and government leaders across Arkansas to make it happen.
At AT&T, we say our purpose is to connect people to greater possibility – with expertise, simplicity and inspiration. Our event in Monticello brought our purpose to life.
1 Limited availability in select areas. Based on analysis by Ookla® of Speedtest Intelligence® data nationwide Speed Score, Consistency Score and average Consumer Ratings for Q1–Q2 2024. Ookla trademarks used under license and reprinted with permission.
2 Limited availability in select areas. Speeds based on wired connection. Actual speeds may vary. Single device wired speed maximum 4.7Gbps. For more info, go to www.att.com/speed101.
