The Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) has selected Plenary Broadband Infrastructure (PBI) as the Operations, Maintenance and Commercialization (OMC) partner for the department’s upcoming broadband project.
The new Statewide Broadband project will install 1,400 miles of broadband infrastructure along all interstate highways in Georgia. State officials said that once completed, a portion of the broadband infrastructure will be dedicated to Georgia DOT’s traffic operations with additional capacity reserved for commercial use which will provide faster, more reliable broadband access for communities, households, and businesses across the state.
“Expanding broadband access throughout Georgia is critical to bridging the digital divide, ensuring that rural and underserved communities can access essential online services for education, healthcare, and economic opportunities,” said Georgia DOT Commissioner Russell R. McMurry, P.E. “This expansion also brings with it the added benefit of modernizing our transportation infrastructure, enabling innovations like connected vehicles and smart traffic systems to improve safety and efficiency.”
As part of their agreement, PBI will maintain the broadband network infrastructure dedicated to GDOT’s traffic operations and will also operate, maintain, and commercialize the broadband network dedicated for commercial use. Additionally, PBI will make payments to Georgia DOT based on the revenue generated from the commercial side of the network.
“This is an innovative approach to project delivery and financing that leverages the private sector to meet the state’s transportation and broadband infrastructure needs,” said McMurry.
