Efforts to provide broadband in unserved areas of Georgia took another leap forward when Governor Brian Kemp, Lieutenant Governor Geoff Duncan and Speaker David Ralston made a joint announcement at the State Capitol today. Governor Kemp announced that Central Georgia EMC (Jackson, GA) and Southern Rivers Energy (Barnesville, GA) will form a new partnership with Conexon to provide high-speed internet to 80,000 homes and businesses in 18 Middle Georgia counties: Bibb, Butts, Clayton, Coweta, Crawford, Fayette, Henry, Jasper, Jones, Lamar, Meriwether, Monroe, Morgan, Newton, Pike, Putnam, Spalding, and Upson.
“The majority of the areas we serve have no access to quality, reliable internet service. That changes today," says Michael McMillan, Southern Rivers Energy CEO. “We know that a fiber infrastructure is a significant investment, but we also know that our communities are worth that investment—in the infrastructure and resources necessary to encourage growth. Electric cooperatives brought rural areas electricity in the 1930s and early ‘40s when no other company would. The current internet crisis is the 21st century version of that.”
The project will provide new broadband service to more than 15,000 SRE members in Bibb, Coweta, Crawford, Lamar, Monroe, Meriwether, Spalding, Pike and Upson counties. Southern Rivers Energy will invest approximately $53 million to construct more than 2,100 miles of fiber that will strengthen the electric grid and improve reliability. The co-op will own the fiber and lease excess capacity to Conexon, which will invest an additional $6.5 million in electronics to serve every SRE member with fiber-to-the-home internet speeds up to 1 gigabit per second.
The internet service will be powered by EMC fiber, but Conexon will provide the retail service to homes and businesses, managing account set-up, customer service, and billing.
“We are confident that we found the best partner in Conexon and the best business model that will allow us to continue focusing on our core mission of providing reliable, affordable electric service while Conexon uses its expertise to provide quality high-speed internet to all of our members at a cost they can afford,” said McMillan.
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