SB149 - Alabama Broadband Accessibility Act

• Establishes the Alabama Broadband Accessibility Act to provide grants for broadband deployment in unserved rural areas, with preference for speeds of at least 25 megabits per second download and 3 megabits per second upload.

• Creates the Alabama Broadband Accessibility Fund managed by the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA) to receive legislative appropriations, gifts, grants, and federal funds for the grant program.

• Authorizes individual grants up to $750,000 for basic broadband projects or $1,400,000 for high-speed projects, with grants capped at 20% of project costs and at least 40% of funds directed to unincorporated areas.

• Establishes annual grant application windows beginning 60 days after the effective date and continuing March 1 of each year, with applications evaluated against criteria including cost-effectiveness, community support, technical capability, and priority for projects serving hospitals and libraries.

• Creates the Alabama Rural Broadband Oversight Committee to meet annually and provide general oversight, with ADECA required to produce quarterly reports on grant status and an initial statewide broadband availability report within 12 months of enactment.