C Spire, Jackson Join Forces to Bring Fiber into the Home

JACKSON, MS — Mississippi’s largest city and its state capital is joining forces with C Spire to help Jackson become one of the nation’s most technologically advanced cities by offering residents ultra-fast 1 Gbps (gigabit per second) fiber to the home broadband Internet access.

Online pre-registration for the services began in Jackson last month at www.cspire.com/jackson. Several hundred residents throughout the city already have expressed their interest by making a $10 refundable deposit and providing credit card information.

Grassroots Outreach and Citizen Advocacy Campaign
C Spire plans to support a comprehensive grassroots outreach and citizen advocacy campaign aimed at encouraging residents to quickly pre-register their interest in the next-generation suite of technology services and urge friends and neighbors to take similar action. The campaign will feature billboards, radio and print advertising, direct mail, building and bus wraps, street teams and sponsorship of high-profile events.

Municipal leaders will play a key role in helping educate and encourage residents throughout the city to pre-register for the service, said Jackson Mayor Tony Yarber, who added that C Spire and city officials also plan to partner with schools, community groups, churches and homeowner associations to help accelerate sign ups.

Qualifying Neighborhoods through Pre-Registration
Instead of dividing neighborhoods into pre-determined sections, C Spire is allowing residents to determine whether and how quickly their areas qualify for construction through the pre-registration process. “As a customer-inspired company, we felt this approach was the best way to help ensure that we get Gigabit speeds to people faster,” said Hu Meena, president and CEO for the Ridgeland-based telecom and technology services firm.

Yarber said the campaign represents a historic opportunity for the city to become a hub for technology investment, generate new, high-paying jobs and provide a better quality of life for residents. “It’s a new day in our bold new city and we’re excited about partnering with C Spire to create a brighter future for our people,” he said. “Gigabit infrastructure will address so many needs in our city from education and health care to business expansion while improving home values.”

Educating Students for the Future Economy
Dr. Freddrick Murray, chief academic officer for high schools with Jackson Public Schools, said Gigabit infrastructure will help Jackson students develop essential 21st century technology and workplace skills and learn critical thinking. “Education is no longer just about learning and memorizing facts and figures,” Murray said. “It’s about collaborating with others, solving complex problems, developing different forms of communication and leadership skills and improving motivation and productivity.”

All of JPS’ 68 schools and administrative facilities already are served by Gigabit Internet connections from C Spire, which Murray said allows students and teachers to potentially have the same robust connection at home and school for homework and collaborative learning as well as exploration of cutting-edge opportunities for teaching, learning, performing original research and working with other schools and organizations.

Business Benefits
Likewise, businesses will benefit from C Spire’s Gigabit infrastructure in Jackson by helping attract new businesses and business investments in the metropolitan area, especially since neighboring cities like Clinton and Ridgeland also are working to qualify their communities for the game-changing technology, according to Duane O’Neill, president and CEO of the 2,100-member Greater Jackson Chamber Partnership.

“Gigabit infrastructure can create a new economic reality for the city of Jackson,” O’Neill said. “In the handful of U.S. cities where this infrastructure is deployed and widely available, it has generated thousands of jobs, millions of dollars of new investment, boosted home values and improved the overall quality of life.”

From Worst to First
Meena said C Spire is on a mission to move Jackson and the Magnolia state from worst to first in national rankings for average Internet speeds and consumer access to super-fast broadband services. “A primary goal is to ensure Mississippi has easy access to fiber technology just as we are delivering on our goal of ensuring consumers and businesses in our state have access to the latest wireless technologies,” he said.

“Fiber to the Home can be a transformative technology for communities, serving as a platform for innovation and a host of new Internet applications and experiences yet to be imagined,” he added. “We’re determined to show the world that Jackson and the state of Mississippi are ready to be a catalyst for technology investment, economic growth and job creation.”