Taking another little piece of Missouri’s ARPA funds, the city of Joplin has its sights set on citywide fiber-optic broadband. The plan under discussion would allow the city to tap into $4.05 million in ARPA grant funding. Allo Missouri, a division of Allo Fiber based in Lincoln, NE, is the provider that Joplin is considering for the project, reports GovTech.
Once the contract with Allo receives the final approval from the Joplin City Council, the provider will have roughly two years to complete the city’s internet infrastructure. The federal grant program is scheduled to end at the end of 2026. Allo was advised to have its final allowable costs submitted by August 31, 2026, in order to give the city time to process those final costs.
According to GovTech, proposed prices for the broadband service have not yet been presented. However, there is a requirement in the contract that requires Allo to offer an alternate rate program for low income residents who qualify for the FCC’s Affordable Connectivity Program.
Joplin’s Planning, Development and Neighborhood Services Director, Troy Bolander said that the pandemic brought home to Missouri, and to the city, how important it is to stay digitally connected. With nothing left to lose, the City of Joplin issued Requests for Proposalsl to help find a provider to bring the residents up to speed. Although there are many factors, such as affordability and flexibility, Allo was ultimately selected as the best option, according to GovTech.
Jack Schaller, a consultant from Olsson Engineering, pointed to Allo’s “robust plan” for disaster response as a deciding factor. With a plan that includes both buried and aerial fiber-optic line components, it was determined that Allo is the company with the ability to set up WiFi service and have connectivity back in service in a day.
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