Rural broadband has been in the news lately as President Trump mentioned it during a stop in Iowa last month. Now, AT&T Fixed Wireless Internet is available in eight new states.

AT&T Fixed Wireless Internet for rural and underserved locations now serves more than 70,000 locations across nine states: Georgia, Alabama, Florida, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Louisiana.

This is part of AT&T's FCC Connect America Fund commitment. AT&T plans to serve more than 400,000 locations by the end of 2017 and more than 1.1 million locations by 2020.

"We're committed to connect hard-to-reach locations to the Internet. This changes lives and creates economic growth for these areas," said Cheryl Choy, vice president, wired voice and internet products at AT&T. "We're excited to bring this service to even more underserved locations."

"The strength of local economies relies on innovation and investment. AT&T expanding internet access in our rural and underserved communities opens up countless opportunities," said Betsy Huber, president of the National Grange.

AT&T plans to launch in 18 states overall later this year. The additional states: Arkansas, California, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Ohio, Texas and Wisconsin.

AT&T's Fixed Wireless Internet service delivers a home Internet connection with download speeds of at least 10Mbps. The connection comes from a wireless tower to a fixed antenna on customers' homes or businesses.

Source: AT&T