RISON - Little Rock-based internet service provider Aristotle told the Cleveland County Broadband Committee Monday that construction of an underground fiber optic network for the New Edinburg area could begin within the first quarter of 2027.
Elizabeth Bowles, chairman and CEO of Aristotle, along with chief revenue officer Jennifer Peper and local representative Miles Goggans gave the estimated timeline during a meeting the company requested with the broadband committee as well as County Judge Don Triplett. The meeting was held in the county judge’s office Monday morning.
Those representing the broadband committee included Justices of the Peace Melody Spears of New Edinburg and Bruce Brown of Pansy, New Edinburg resident Diane Chambers and Britt Talent of Rison, who formerly served as co-chair of the original broadband committee.
When a concerted local effort was launched in late 2022 to bring broadband to all of Cleveland County, the New Edinburg area was already in line to receive federal funding to help bring high-speed internet service to that area. That funding came through two federally-funded sources:
• In March 2022, Aristotle was awarded $1,627,315.30 through the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) program to serve 570 locations in southern Cleveland County around the New Edinburg area.
• In August 2025, Aristotle was awarded $732,619.83 in Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) funding to serve 102 locations near the New Edinburg area.
Combined, Aristotle was awarded nearly $2.36 million to bring fiber optic internet service to the southern part of the county.
While the New Edinburg area was the first to be awarded funding, it currently remains one of the few areas in the county that does not have fiber optic internet service available. Justice Spears told Bowles that residents in the New Edinburg area have lost confidence that it will happen. Bowles assured her that Aristotle is committed to seeing th…