The Utah Broadband Center, a division of the state of Utah that recently relocated to UDOT, celebrated the completion of a significant grant-funded broadband deployment project in Box Elder County. The project, funded by the Broadband Access Grant through federal Capital Project Funds, connects over 1,500 homes and businesses in Mantua, Howell, Bear River City, Elwood, Thatcher, and Penrose to fiber optic broadband. The grant-funded effort was completed in partnership with Box Elder County and Beehive Broadband. 

Stakeholders of the project gathered at the Golden Spike National Historic Park to celebrate the project's completion. Attendees included former Box Elder County Commissioners, state legislators, representatives of the state's Utah Broadband Advisory Commission, the Governor's Office of Planning and Budget, and local government representatives from the impacted communities. Speakers at the event highlighted how these new broadband connections are as essential for our rural communities today as the transcontinental railroad connection was for our communities in 1869. 

To date, five Broadband Access Grant projects have been completed across the state, serving over 2,500 rural locations with more to come. 

Click here to watch a video of the ribbon-splicing event at the Golden Spike National Historic Park.