Increased access to broadband Internet access is on the way to Pike, Crenshaw, Coffee and Dale Counties, this after Troy Cablevision was awarded a $26 million grant to finance the Southeast Alabama SmartBand project.

The increased broadband access will come after Troy Cablevision lays a 595-mile fiberoptic network that will offer speeds between 1 Mbps and 1 Gbps to help anchor institutions and other broadband providers in the area.

Troy Cablevision will receive $26 million, but must provide a $7 million match, and must also complete the project within three years. The $26 million grant is part of a total of more than $111 million being provided to various organizations to increase broadband coverage.

The project is expected to create 145 jobs in total.

Congressman Bobby Bright was on hand Wednesday to announce that Troy Cablevision had received the grant, and said the company had been proactive in seeking the funds to complete the project.

“This project has been on the drawing board since day one of me being in office,” Bright said. “Troy Cablevision has been very aggressive in chasing this grant. They were actually denied for it the first time, but it just goes to show you what can happen if you stay consistent and stay aggressive.”

Jimmy Copeland, special projects coordinator for Troy Cablevision, said he expects the project to be a major economic boost for the area.

“We really believe that this connection will do for this area what the interstate between Montgomery and Atlanta did for that area,” Copeland said.