Cox to bring broadband to rural southern Arizona
Cox high-speed internet is coming to the town of Huachuca City by the end of the summer, in an effort to expand to rural areas in southern Arizona.
Cox Communications announced plans to expand its high-speed internet, telephone, TV and security services to Huachuca City and southeast Sierra Vista last year. Construction began in January and will run through July with the project completion expected around Aug. 25 depending on construction conditions, supply chain issues, etc.
This expansion to both areas will add 2,000 homes and businesses and more than 34 miles of fiber-optic cable in southern Arizona, Cox Communications said in a press release. The company committed $2.7 billion nationally to its network, including expanding its reach to rural communities in Arizona.
Huachuca City Mayor Johann Wallace said the town has limited internet options that are typically offered through major wireless providers. While these are good options, he noted they can be unreliable. Additionally, many residents rely on their phones for internet access which can be impeded by data caps, slow connection and network congestion.
“I’m really happy for the quality-of-life improvement for the residents here,” he said about the expansion of 1G broadband service to Huachuca City.
Wallace said this project is fully funded by Cox Communications. He highlighted how Cox will offer packages for low-income families, a boon for the 27% of the town's residents who live below the poverty line, according to 2020 U.S. Census data. Some of these programs include the Affordable Connectivity and the Connect2Compete program for students.
“A lot more people in this community are going to have the ability to access good internet at a reasonable price that they may not currently have access to,” Wallace said.
Expanding to rural areas in southern Arizona can be challenging because of its remoteness, rocky terrain and native plant preservation, Susan Anable, the Phoenix market vice president with Cox Communications, said in an email.
Additionally, the permitting and inspection process for broadband networks can be “overwhelming” for smaller communities, and the approvals and permitting process can take over a year to complete, she said.
Wallace said he hopes the presence of broadband in Huachuca City will attract more businesses to the area. The town is not only known for being close to Fort Huachuca, a U.S. Army military base, but also known for being a safe and quiet town with notable sunsets, giving it the slogan "Sunset City."
While the landfill brings revenue to the town, he hopes broadband will help diversify Huachuca City's economy.
“We do that by bumping up the sales tax revenues through new businesses coming in,” Wallace said about decreasing the town's reliance on revenues brought in by the landfill business. “If we don't have the infrastructure for it, businesses aren't going to come in. So that all ties back to having good power, good water, good sewer and good connectivity."
Coverage of southern Arizona on azcentral.com and in The Arizona Republic is funded by the nonprofit Report for America in association with The Republic.
Reach the reporter at sarah.lapidus@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Cox to bring broadband to rural southern Arizona
