Georgia Magazine - June 2021 - 19

COOPERATIVE Concerns

By Lindsay Bridges

Rural broadband progress report
120,000 Georgians slated to receive high-speed internet access through EMC projects

MICAH HARLEY

pring is always a welcome time of
year-and perhaps more so this
year for many rural Georgians.
Recent broadband announcements by
Middle Georgia Electric Membership
Corp. (EMC), Washington EMC, Southern Rivers Energy, Central Georgia EMC
and Tri-County EMC mean that all of
these five cooperatives' members will
have access to high-speed internet in
their homes and businesses when the
systems are fully deployed. When the
members of these EMCs are combined
with those of other EMCs announcing
projects in just the last year, more than
120,000 rural Georgians in 35 counties
will gain broadband access thanks to
their EMCs.
Washington EMC announced a partnership with Conexon Connect, a Kansas City, Mo.-based
The need for broadband in rural
internet service provider, on April 16 at Veal Farms in Washington County. The event was
Georgia has been exacerbated by the
attended by Gov. Brian Kemp, Public Service Commissioner Tricia Pridemore, Agriculture
COVID-19 pandemic as schoolchildren
Commissioner Gary Black and state legislators from the area.
had to switch to online learning, parents
worked from home and many businesses
distributed by the One Georgia Authority and will help fund
had to make drastic changes to stay afloat.
To date, 15 EMCs in Georgia have announced or are provid- broadband projects in unserved rural areas.
EMCs have been engaged in discussions with stakeholding broadband services, either through an affiliate owned by the
EMC or through a partnership with a broadband provider. Other ers at the federal, state and local levels to help their members
solve connectivity problems for years. Unfortunately, there is no
EMCs are exploring partnership opportunities with existing
single business model that will work for every community, and
providers and researching community-based solutions.
This progress can be attributed to recent key developments. offering retail broadband service may not be financially feasible
for all EMCs. Local leaders must continue working together to
In 2019, the legislature passed and Gov. Brian Kemp signed
address their communities' unique challenges and opportuniSenate Bill 2, giving EMCs the legal ability to provide broadband
ties in order to craft solutions that will best serve their residents
services. Last year, the Georgia Department of
and businesses. Solutions will often look very different from one
Community Affairs completed maps that accurately show
locations throughout the state that are either unserved or under- community to the next.
Thankfully, our state's elected officials have dedicated
served by broadband providers.
considerable time and resources to increase viable options,
Late last year, the Federal Communications Commission
awarded $326 million in federal grants to support high-speed in- allocate funding and make decisions that encourage innovation
in resolving our state's connectivity issues. There is still a long
ternet development in Georgia through its Rural Digital Opporway to go, but real progress is being made, and the future
tunity Fund. Finally, in December, the Georgia Public Service
of rural Georgia is looking brighter every day.
Commission decided on rates, terms and conditions for EMC
For more details on recent EMC broadband announcepole attachments, setting the pole attachment rate at $1 per
ments, visit georgiaemc.com/news.
pole per year in areas deemed unserved by the state broadband
Lindsay Bridges is vice president of communications and
maps to spur broadband deployment in these areas.
member services at Tucker-based Georgia EMC, the trade associRural Georgians can be further encouraged by the
ation representing the state's 41 electric cooperatives, Oglethorpe
$30 million in broadband grant funding that was included in
Power Corp., Georgia Transmission Corp. and Georgia Systems
the fiscal year 2021 and 2022 budgets recently approved by the
Operations Corp.
General Assembly and signed by Kemp. This money will be
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5/13/21 10:02 AM

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Georgia Magazine - June 2021

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