A vital goal of our broadband project was to reach a 35 percent take rate from those members in close proximity to Central Alabama Electric Cooperative’s 400-mile fiber core ring. This benchmark was required as part of the business plan to allow for expansion to additional areas in need of high-speed internet.

As it became apparent we would reach that goal, the detailed process of placing those members from areas outside the main core into activation zones began. With more than 200 designated activation zones, customers will be able to see which zone they fall into and the interest level for our service within that zone by visiting www.centralaccess.com and entering their address or visiting the map page (located on a top navigational tab). When you view your zone, you will see the percentage of registrations and the number of sign-ups needed to activate it. Once activated, the work to design the engineering plans for the zone will begin, and members within the activated zone will be sent information on the progress being made as well as important milestones and events regarding any pending service. The more people signed-up in an area, the sooner your zone will be placed on the construction schedule.

In addition to the activation zones, the map also features grant areas awarded to several of our communities, which have been incorporated into our construction plans. For those located in grant areas, it is important to realize that there are several requirements that have to be met before funds are disbursed and permission is given to begin construction, so please be patient as we navigate through that process. For those outside of grant areas, it is important to recognize that being awarded these funds requires construction to be completed within a certain time-frame – usually two years, which means while we are continuing to construct our planned areas, receiving grants adds these new areas into the mix and can affect our planned timeline.

This will be a multi-year process, however, and while customer demand will determine our construction route and zone activation, our commitment is that no community will be left out of the project. We will continue with our mission to provide lightning-fast internet to all who wish to have it in our service area.

For more information on the initial core, grant areas and zones requiring activation as well as some frequently asked questions about Central Access, please visit our FAQ page.