Monroe County Commissioners officially announced on Monday a partnership with Monroe County Schools, local electric membership cooperatives Central Georgia EMC and Southern Rivers Energy and fiber-optic network provider Conexon, LLC that will bring high-speed internet to all EMC customers in Monroe County.
In a press conference at the Georgia State Capitol on Monday, a multi-million dollar, 18-county high-speed internet expansion project was unveiled by Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and other key state legislators, including Monroe County’s local delegation, which includes Representatives Robert Dickey, Susan Holmes and Dale Washburn and Senator John Kennedy. Monroe County Commission Chairman Greg Tapley served as one of the keynote speakers on Monday.
Tapley said the county’s high-speed internet project would not have been made possible without successful cooperation between Monroe County and other local governing bodies like Monroe County Schools and the Development Authority of Monroe County. Chairman Tapley also thanked Monroe County citizens for their patience with the Commissioners in the Board’s long-standing efforts to bring effective high-speed internet to its constituents.
“Most importantly, the biggest thanks goes to our residents, our customers, our constituents,” Chairman Tapley said. “First, they have patiently waited for this day. They’re the ones that allow us to represent them and ultimately support and fund these successes.”
The announcement comes six days after Monroe County Commissioners unanimously approved on Tuesday, Feb. 2 an agreement with Central Georgia EMC (CGEMC) and Southern Rivers Energy to provide expanded high-speed internet services in Monroe County.
Monroe County has agreed to contribute $1.33 million to assist with the estimated $30 million project. District 4 Commissioner George Emami, the chairman of the county’s Internet Expansion Committee, made the initial announcement at the beginning of the Feb. 2 regular board meeting.
On Feb. 2, Commissioners tasked County Attorney Ben Vaughn with drafting an agreement between the county, the Monroe County Development Authority, the Monroe County Board of Education and the two local electric membership cooperatives (Central Georgia EMC and Southern Rivers Energy) to work together on expanding internet in Monroe County.
The move came moments after Commissioners unanimously rejected all three Requests for Proposal submitted to the county in early December. These included proposals by Forsyth CableNet, Reynolds Cable and Central Georgia EMC. Since the county first advertised for RFPs last fall, the EMCs decided to get into the internet business. However, Central Georgia EMC’s proposal that was rejected on Tuesday did not include Southern Rivers Energy, meaning the western half of the county would have remained unserved. Once Southern Rivers Energy also expressed interest in offering internet, Commissioners decided to work with both EMCs on a solution.
Upon making the announcement, Commissioner Emami said, “During this process, a number of circumstances have changed on a greater level than here in Monroe County. Among those we learned that Central Georgia EMC and Southern Rivers have entered into a regional agreement to bring high-speed internet to all of their customers. These customers represent a very large percentage of the unserved or underserved areas of the county.”
Central Georgia EMC serves over 7,700 locations in Monroe County with 942 miles of overhead and underground power lines. CGEMC plans to offer 100 Mbps (symmetrical service) minimum speed with the capability of up to 1 Gbps in symmetrical speed. CGEMC is associated with a consortium/partnership with other EMCs across the country that received over $1 billion in Federal Communications Commission (FCC) funding to expand high-speed internet. Of that funding amount, $3.5 million was awarded to Rural Electric Cooperative Consortium for broadband expansion in Monroe County, and CGEMC has also requested a one-time $1 million grant to be invested solely in fiber connectivity to Monroe County. CGEMC has also guaranteed that Monroe County will be the first county in the CGEMC territory where fiber lines are constructed.
Herschel Arant, CGEMC Senior Vice President of Engineering & Energy Supply, said work on the project could begin as soon as Spring 2021, and all CGEMC customers in Monroe County should have access to internet within 10 to 12 months. He said of the 7,700 locations currently served by CGEMC, about 5,900 are considered to be unserved or underserved in terms of reliable high-speed internet. CGEMC does not anticipate an initial upfront customer installation cost, but there could be installation fees charged in the future. Arant said the monthly fee for CGEMC’s high-speed internet will be $50 per month for 100 Mbps and $80 for 1 Gbps.
Emami said the county’s entire $1.33 million contribution to the project is expected to be re-paid within the next five years from increased revenues from property taxes.
“To my knowledge, this will make the effort in Monroe County the largest rural internet expansion project in the state of Georgia,” Commissioner Emami said. “We’re glad to be a part of a team effort that includes the Georgia Department of Community Affairs, the federal government, the Georgia Governor’s Office and a pair of member-owned cooperatives.”
On Feb. 5, three days after Commissioners gave their initial approval, the Monroe County Board of Education held a called meeting in which the BOE unanimously approved to contribute $360,000 in federal C.A.R.E.S. Act funding for the county’s internet expansion project.
Monroe County Schools Superintendent Mike Hickman said there were two major reasons why he urged the BOE to support the high-speed internet expansion initiative.
Hickman said, “One, it meets the criteria for what we need for our children and our parents right now. And second, it’s just the right thing to do.”
