Tuesday morning, Governor Kemp announced a new partnership to deliver fiber broadband to 31,000 underserved businesses and homes in numerous Middle Georgia counties.
Flint Energies and Conexon Connect will be joining forces, with a plan to deploy a 3,000 mile fiber to the home network in Middle Georgia. This $90 million dollar project is being made possible through a combination of American Rescue Plan grant funds, FCC Rural Digital Opportunity Funds, as well as significant investments by Flint Energies and Connect.
This partnership between Flint Energies and Connect is made possible by Senate Bill 2, which makes it where electric membership cooperatives (like Flint Energies) can provide broadband services in order to aid rural communities in need across the state. Flint Energies, as well as 20 other electric membership cooperatives, are working to provide high speed internet and broadband services to impact a total of 282,000 Georgians in 89 counties.
Rome News Tribune: Latest broadband project to serve customers in Middle Georgia
A new partnership between an electric membership cooperative (EMC) in Taylor County and a major internet service provider will deliver broadband service to 31,000 customers across a swath of Middle Georgia.
Flint Energies and Kansas City-based Conexon Connect will launch a 3,000-mile fiber network to homes and businesses in Crawford, Macon, Marion, Muscogee, Peach, Schley, Talbot, Taylor and south Houston counties.
The $90 million project is being funded through a federal American Rescue Plan grant of $25 million, $7.5 million from a fund overseen by the Federal Communications Commission and substantial investments by Flint Energies and Connect.
The project is the latest in a series of broadband initiatives across Georgia since the General Assembly passed legislation in 2019 allowing EMCs to get into the broadband business. Collectively, these projects represent an investment of $770 million serving more than 282,000 Georgians in 89 counties.
Original source found here.
