West Point, Mississippi, Receives $200,000 ARC Grant to Improve Broadband Services

WEST POINT, MISSISSIPPI, August 13, 2007—The Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) announced a grant in the amount of $200,000 to the City of West Point today to help improve its high-speed broadband Internet services.

The project will allow the construction of 6.9 miles of OC-192 fiber-optic cable to create a "loop" in the broadband services to West Point, enhancing business activity as well as promoting various sites within the city for future development.

Congressman Roger Wicker welcomed the project. "This grant reflects ARC's continued commitment to job creation and economic development," Wicker said. "Expanding broadband access will benefit existing businesses, serve as a recruitment tool to attract high-tech industries, enhance education, and boost health-care options in the Golden Triangle."

ARC Federal Co-Chair Anne B. Pope said, "This project is the most recent example of ARC's commitment to moving this part of Mississippi forward economically with improved telecommunications and broadband facilities. It builds on the commitment that ARC made three years ago to the Mississippi Economic Growth Alliance and Point of Presence (MEGAPOP) and to connecting northeast Mississippi to the Internet."

In addition to the ARC funds, the project will receive $203,000 in cash and in-kind services from local sources, bringing the total project funding to $403,000.