Martinsville, IN and AT&T have agreed to a $6.3 million public-private partnership that will bring a fiber broadband network capable of serving 5,000 locations to the city. The deal is contingent on a final contract between the two parties.
The Martinsville City Council and Board of Public Works approved the project, which will be capable of symmetrical 5 Gbps data speeds, this week. Planning and engineering work will begin upon signing of the contract, with the project schedule to be finished in two years.
The press release offered no details on financing beyond the fact that it will be a public private venture.
“Bringing fast and reliable AT&T Fiber to communities like Martinsville shows how valuable public-private collaborations can be in closing the digital divide,” AT&T Indiana President Bill Soards said in a press release. “It’s been great working with the city’s leadership on this project, which will bring our fastest long-term internet solution to the city’s residents, business leaders and educators.”
Martinsville has a population of about 12,000 people and is located in the south central part of the state.
AT&T invested more than $1 billion in wireless and wireline services in the state between 2019 and last year and this is not its first public private partnership in the state.
In May, the carrier and Boonville agreed to create a network capable of offering fiber broadband services to 4,000 locations in the city. Funding for the $4.4 million contract is being split between the city and AT&T.
A Boonville city official noted at the time that funding for its costs was made possible through the State and Local Fiscal Recovery program, which was created by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and other programs.
Last November, AT&T and the Vanderburgh County Commissioners signed a $39.6 million contract for a public private partnership that will bring all-fiber service to more than 20,000 addresses in that Indiana county.
