Installation of fiber broadband services in rural areas of nine counties, including Lowndes, Oktibbeha, Clay and Noxubee, is running a year ahead of schedule.
4-County Electric Power Association CEO Brian Clark provided updates Tuesday on its FASTnet broadband service to the Rotary Club of Columbus at Lion Hills Center.
Clark told attendees the company is now working on its mainline fiber buildout in Oktibbeha County near Sturgis, with Ackerman and Weir in Choctaw County next. The electric-co-op is also nearly finished in portions of southern Noxubee and northern Clay counties.
“We have a great team,” Clark said. “I think what sets us apart from our competitors is you can call any of us; you can call me you or any of the other employees that are all local. They speak our language, and they understand the community.”
4-County began installing fiber optic cable to provide Wi-Fi services to its customers in 2020 and received $41 million in state and federal funds for the project. In just two years, 4-County has installed more than 2,800 miles of fiber optic cable for 7,029 customers in its service area.
However, Clark notes installation of the cable from the road to homes will take additional time before it’s complete.
“The most lengthy part of our process is the drops from the road to the house,” Clark said. “Going down the highway is pretty much the easy part. We can hang that quick because we already have the easements and the poles there. But going from the road to your house takes a little time.”
At the meeting, Rotarian Kevin Stafford, who is also the Columbus city engineer, asked if 4-County would consider moving FASTnet into the cities within its service area. Clark said since the co-op has not yet finished the installation of its fiber cables for its current county members, it would be difficult to justify moving into the cities at this time.
“The answer is not no,” Clark said. “It’s just not right now. Let me serve my current members first, and then if the city does want us to, we will definitely look at coming in.”
Lowndes County Board of Supervisors President Trip Hairston praised Clark and his team at 4-County for how quickly one of its contractors set up the internet connection at his 83-year-old father’s house.
“The contractor that was there was very professional,” Hairston said. “He had set up the whole building within a couple of hours. It’s good stuff.”
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