While many Americans benefit from the endless opportunities provided by access to high-speed internet, many rural and remote communities—including here in Arizona—remain unconnected. Fortunately, thousands of projects across the nation are underway, with broadband crews making significant strides to bridge the digital divide. These crews overcome numerous obstacles, endure extreme conditions, and venture into the country’s most remote regions.

A new documentary, “Every Last Mile,” chronicles the untold story of connecting rural and remote America. The film follows three broadband construction crews, including one in Yavapai County’s town of Congress, and the immense challenges they face while building this critical infrastructure.

Spotlight: Connecting the Town of Congress

Once the location of a bustling gold mine, Yavapai County is home to over 207,000 homes, many of which lacked in-home internet access.

“Every Last Mile” documents a local Cox Communications crew as they brave extreme temperatures, tight project timelines, and challenging terrain to connect 1,300 homes to high-speed broadband.

“The town of Congress, Arizona is one of the scores of broadband expansion projects we have underway that demonstrate how our skilled teams can overcome challenges, including the oppressive heat and hostile desert geography. We will continue our commitment to digital equity by building partnerships and dedicating expertise and resources to connect even more unserved and underserved Americans.” – Mark Greatrex, President of Cox Communications

The premiere of “Every Last Mile” coincides with an unprecedented national effort to expand internet access to unconnected Americans, including over ten million residing in rural regions. The “Internet for All” initiative includes the historic allocation of $42.45 billion in federal Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) funds, slated for distribution to states this year. Arizona is earmarked to receive nearly $1 billion in BEAD funding to expand broadband access across the state. This funding complements the $2.1 trillion in private capital invested since 1996 to build and upgrade America’s broadband networks.

America’s Cable Industry: Connecting Every Last Mile

America’s cable industry employs over 1 million highly skilled professionals and has a long, proven track record of success in building the networks Americans rely on in rural and urban communities. The Congress project alone employed dozens of local crews, adding another boost to the local economy.

Between 2022 and 2023, the cable industry connected 1.3 million new rural homes and businesses and increased gigabit speed access to 5.4 million homes and businesses.

“Everyone understands the importance of connecting all communities to fast and reliable internet access, but few have seen just how daunting that work can be. “Every Last Mile” tells the story of the monumental challenges faced by America’s cable industry every day to extend broadband into rural, unserved communities across the country, and we won’t quit until the job is done.” – Michael K. Powell, President & CEO, NCTA – the Internet & Television Association

For more information and stories about NCTA’s mission to connect every American to every last mile of the nation’s broadband network, visit: everylastmile.film