A local Internet service provider announced Thursday that it has successfully expanded broadband to more than 30,000 rural homes and businesses in Alabama, including homes in the Andalusia and Opp areas.

CenturyLink officials say the expansion is part of the company’s commitment to bring high-speed Internet to more Americans.

CenturyLink has participated in the FCC’s Connect America Fund.

“We know broadband brings many benefits to communities, including better access to jobs, education and healthcare services,” said Doug Tuchmann, CenturyLink vice president of operations for Alabama. “That’s why we’ve worked hard to expand broadband to more homes and businesses in our smaller, more rural U.S. markets.”

In August 2015, CenturyLink accepted CAF II money, to be received over six years, from the FCC and committed to bring broadband with download speeds of at least 10 Mbps to approximately 48,000 locations in FCC-designated, high-cost census blocks in Alabama.

To date, CenturyLink has successfully enabled more than 30,000 locations, or more than 60 percent of the total committed locations, in Alabama over the last three years, exceeding its year-end 2018 CAF enablement goal in the state.

CenturyLink has already enabled broadband to approximately 750,000 homes and businesses nationwide across rural America over the last three years in conjunction with the CAF program.