Flagstaff: $118 Million Fiber Broadband Project Brings State Investment to Northern Arizona

$118 million in combined investment from the state, local government, and private industry is set to transform internet access in Flagstaff and Coconino County.

The broadband expansion project, led by Wecom Fiber, is finishing its first phase of installation. The effort promises to connect thousands of homes that currently face slow or nonexistent internet service.

A digital divide in northern Arizona

Residents in rural northern Arizona, including the Navajo Nation, have traveled as far as 100 miles round trip to access reliable internet in hubs like Flagstaff.

Across the United States, the average download speed reaches 214 megabits per second. Testing around Flagstaff showed speeds ranging from 30 to 120 megabits per second, according to Arizona's Family.

"When you have digital infrastructure, when you have fiber, it changes lives," said Rachel Solomon, CEO of Wecom Fiber.

Solomon said the upgrade allows people to pursue education, remote work, and telemedicine.

"It allows kids to tackle educational problems," Solomon said. "What we're allowing is lightning-fast speeds that allow people to dream big in different ways."

State and local dollars on the line

The $118 million project combines funding from Wecom Fiber, the state of Arizona, the City of Flagstaff, and Coconino County. The company did not break down the exact contribution from each partner in the reporting.

Flagstaff Mayor Becky Daggett said the infrastructure will connect 34 city facilities in addition to tens of thousands of homes and businesses.

"All of this infrastructure is going to enable the city to work more efficiently as well as all of Flagstaff's local businesses, including the hospital and other big institutions," Daggett said.

Timeline for expansion

Hundreds of Flagstaff households already have fiber access. The project targets the following milestones:

• By the end of 2026: 15,000 homes with fiber access
• Over the next few years: 30,000 homes with fiber access
• Project completion: 2028

Daggett said the difference between slow internet and no internet defines the stakes for residents.

"For people who have already had access to internet in Flagstaff, but maybe it's slow or it drops that's an annoyance," Daggett said. "For people who have never had access to it this could be a game changer."

Wecom was founded in Kingman 70 years ago and has expanded its rural broadband infrastructure across Arizona.

According to the National Institutes of Health, people in rural areas without reliable internet miss out on job opportunities, educational resources, and health benefits including telemedicine.