Network will enable world-class, high-speed internet and phone services, and enhance electrical infrastructure with smart grid capabilities
KANSAS CITY, Mo.– Rural fiber-optic network design and construction management leader Conexon, is working with East Mississippi Electric Power Association (EMEPA), delivering comprehensive broadband management services -- including network design, engineering, and construction management -- for its fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) network.
EMEPA’s bold five-year project will bring broadband internet service to its entire service area of 37,000 customers in eastern Mississippi at a cost of more than $100 million. With the help of a recent $6 million CARES Act grant for use in providing high-speed broadband internet service to unserved and underserved areas of rural Mississippi, EMEPA has been able to accelerate the start of its Phase 1 construction. Expected to be completed by Sept. 30, 2021, Phase 1 will make broadband internet access available to 3,559 homes along 463.5 miles of fiber.
“Our customers have stressed how much they need access to the internet, and you add COVID-19 on top of it and access becomes even more critical,” EMEPA CEO Randy Carroll said. “With the CARES grant and Conexon’s experience and expertise, we’re able to speed up the FTTH buildout to give our customers the services they need.”
EMEPA telecommunications subsidiary East Mississippi Connect will offer fiber internet and telephone services to members in EMEPA’s service territory. Through East Mississippi Connect, members will have access to a state-of-the-art network that will delivery symmetrical gigabit internet capabilities – among the fastest and most robust in the nation. The all-fiber network will also enable enhancements and smart grid capabilities to the electrical infrastructure such as improved power outage response times, better load balancing, and more efficient electricity delivery.
