It is the most ambitious infrastructure project of our generation, rivaling FDR’s rural electrification program in the mid-1930s to Eisenhower’s interstate highway program of the mid-1950s.

All over the country along rural roads and highways, the work is underway, including here the Golden Triangle, although we hardly notice it.

When completed, every American will have access to broadband internet service, something that is as important today as electricity and interstate highways were to previous generations.

On Tuesday, Brian Clark, CEO of 4-County Electric Power Association, spoke at Columbus Rotary about the progress of 4-County’s broadband expansion, which it calls FastNet. Clark said the work is about a year ahead of schedule, having installed 2,800 miles of fiber optic cable for 7,029 customers in its nine-county service area, which includes Lowndes, Oktibbeha, Clay and Noxubee.

The progress can be attributed to two things. First, for once, Mississippi got a much-needed head start, thanks primarily to the efforts of northern district Public Service Commissioner Brandon Presley, who in 2020 successfully lobbied the state legislature to change the law and allow the state’s 25 electric co-ops to provide broadband to its customers.

In late 2020, after a survey of its customers showed 90 percent of respondents approved committing to broadband expansion, 4-County started its program. At the time 13 of 14 north Mississippi co-ops and 15 of the 25 co-ops statewide had signed on.

When it began its broadband program, 4-County received $6 million in grants to support the effort.

The second big thing that jump-started broadband access came about a year later, when Congress passed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which provides $65 billion to provide broadband access throughout the country.

The legislation provided an additional $35 million for 4-County’s broadband program.

The impact of bringing broadband service to all Americans cannot be overstated. It is an essential service, yet it’s estimated that as many as 42 million Americans don’t currently have broadband access.

In Mississippi, 20 percent of the population does not have broadband access and the state lags well behind its neighboring states — just 6.3 percent of Tennesseans and 12.4 percent of Alabamans don’t have broadband access, for example.

The one-year head start should help Mississippi close that gap. The massive infusion of federal funds will one day be remembered as a major achievement. It’s worth noting that both FDR and Eisenhower initially faced criticism over the cost of their electrification and interstate programs. Today, we consider them to be a bargain.

The same will undoubtedly be true of the national broad-band program.

The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.