GURLEY – Though Madison County is the high-tech capital of Alabama, there are some areas that are underserved, or even unserved, in fiber optic broadband access.

Today, thanks to work between County Commissioner Craig Hill and the New Hope Telephone Cooperative, a rural area of the county has broadband service.

Hill and NHTC officials cut a ribbon for the Killingsworth Cove Broadband Project at 137 Killingsworth Cove Road in Gurley.

Hill thanked the co-op for the partnership that brought the much-needed service to the Killingsworth Cove area.

“As District Three continues to grow, so do the needs of our residents and we are excited to have this service in the area,” said Hill, the District 3 commissioner.

Hill secured $1 million in funding through the American Rescue Plan Act for the expansion of fiber optic broadband infrastructure to the unserved and underserved areas of Killingsworth Cove.

In early 2024, Hill partnered with New Hope Telephone Cooperative which invested just over $1 million of its own funds to complete the project.

Affordable high-speed broadband internet service via a world-class fiber network is now available to all eligible customers within the service area.