SUMMERVILLE, GA – Approximately 3,400 homes, businesses, and schools in Chattooga County will get high-speed fiber internet for the first time, due to a $10.3 million public-private partnership with broadband provider Kinetic, officials said.
The project will provide fiber internet to eligible homes and business in the county, including areas in Summerville, Trion, Lyerly, and Menlo.
Under the partnership, the county will use about $3.1 million in state grant money from the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds program, part of the federal American Rescue Plan.
Kinetic will invest $7.2 million and cover any cost overruns. The combined venture will enable Kinetic to lay 320 miles of optical fiber cable to bring high-speed internet to residences, businesses, and schools, with work expected to be completed next year.
“I applaud Kinetic and Chattooga County for investing together, in partnership, so that some 3,400 homes and businesses in this great county benefit from fiber broadband,” U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Rome, said in a statement for a town hall forum announcing the project. “High-speed internet, like we’re getting here, is a necessity in today’s world, and the combined investment of Kinetic and Chattooga County will ensure that more and more people here benefit from fiber broadband.”
Kinetic’s ultrafast fiber-optic broadband lets users download and upload at speeds of up to 1 gigabit a second, or 1,000 megabits a second, providing what is known as next-generation access. The median download speed in Georgia is about 178 megabits a second, and the median upload speed is about 24 megabits a second, according to Ookla’s Speedtest, which compares internet data speeds across the country.
“I am very happy for this world-class telecommunications upgrade that will benefit communities across Chattooga County,” said state Sen. Colton Moore, R-Trenton. “High-speed internet is a key part of our plan to build a better Georgia and a better Chattooga County. It allows Georgians to stay connected with school, healthcare services, and family and is critical to the success of our state’s economy and to future job creation.”
State Rep. Eddie Lumsden, R-Rome, said: “Broadband has become an integral part of our daily life. Access to reliable service is becoming a necessity for all of us. The challenge of providing access in the rural parts of our state is very real. This partnership signals the start of new possibilities for Chattooga County. Technology is ever-evolving, and this county deserves broadband that will handle current and future demands. Chattooga County is fortunate to have a community partner like Kinetic providing the best solution to connectivity for our residents and businesses.”
Michael Foor, Kinetic Georgia operations president, said: “We at Kinetic are thrilled to bring our ultrafast, reliable fiber connectivity and best-in-class internet experience to homes, businesses, and schools here in Chattooga County. This important county deserves exceptional internet, which will meet the county’s evolving demands for business, educational, and personal use.”
Kinetic’s Chattooga County fiber project is part of a $2 billion multiyear capital investment strategy by Kinetic to dramatically expand gigabit fiber service across the company’s 18-state footprint.
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