Before its prominent summer Prime Day event on July 8, Amazon disclosed intentions to broaden its Same-Day and Next-Day delivery services to additional rural areas. This effort will forge more connections and jobs in thousands of American communities, while also presenting further challenges to local businesses.

The $4 billion initiative seeks to triple Amazon’s delivery network by establishing hybrid delivery facilities in 4,000 communities. These facilities will have various functions and aid in diminishing transportation distances. Amazon expects to finalize the project by the end of the year.

The new “hybrid hubs” will modernize and enhance current rural delivery stations, enabling inventory storage and delivery preparation. In addition to these physical upgrades, Amazon will implement machine learning to forecast and stock items that will cater to local Prime members based on their unique needs.

“This expansion is about more than just speed. It’s about reshaping daily life for rural customers, who often reside farther from traditional retailers, enjoy fewer product and brand options, and encounter restricted delivery choices when shopping online,” Amazon officials remarked in a blog post.

Previously, Amazon encountered allegations of geographically restricting expedited Prime shipping, even for Prime members. In December, Washington D.C. attorney general Brian Schwalb initiated legal action against the company, claiming that Amazon enforced hidden “delivery exclusions” that hindered service in certain predominantly Black neighborhoods. Amazon replied to previous claims of biased delivery practices by arguing that the policies were protective measures in areas with targeted incidents against delivery personnel.

Simultaneously, large retailers are investigating new, automated techniques to speed up delivery, such as Walmart’s recent fleets of flying delivery drones being trialed across five states.