Broadband expansion announced in nine middle Georgia counties

ATLANTA – Gov. Brian Kemp announced Wednesday a newly-formed partnership between Reynolds-based Flint Energies and Conexon Connect to deliver fiber broadband to 31,000 underserved and unserved homes and businesses in Crawford, south Houston, Macon, Marion, Muscogee, Peach, Schley, Talbot and Taylor counties.

“Today is another milestone in the ongoing effort to bring broadband to unserved and underserved customers in rural Georgia,” Kemp said in a news release. “I thank Flint Energies, Conexon Connect, and the state and local leaders who are partnering to make this transformational project possible. We’re showing that Georgia is continuing to lead the nation in developing collaborative, innovative, and fiscally conservative approaches to leveraging funding to positively impact and serve our citizens.”

Together, Flint Energies and Conexon Connect will launch and deploy a 3,000-mile fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) network in middle Georgia. This $90 million project is made possible through recently announced American Rescue Plan grant funds of $25 million, $7.5 million FCC Rural Digital Opportunity Funds, and significant investments by Flint Energies and Conexon Connect. Work on the project will begin immediately, with estimated completion in 2026.

“As Chairman of the Public Service Commission, we have taken a leading role in helping with efforts to expand rural broadband around the state,” Public Service Commissioner Tricia Pridemore said. “Connectivity is essential for Georgia’s ratepayers, and I applaud Flint Energies and Conexon on this exciting project.”

“I’m grateful for Flint Energies’ investment in our communities and for bringing true broadband to portions of their service area that have lacked access for far too long,” State Senator Larry Walker said. “Flint has served middle Georgia for over 85 years and with this announcement, the co-op has once again shown its commitment to members. By bringing high-speed internet to heretofore overlooked areas, rural households, farms, churches and businesses will be able to enjoy the benefits of connectivity to today’s online world. This is a game-changer.”

“This project accomplishes two goals,” Flint Energies CEO Jeremy Nelms said. “The system will deliver immediate benefits such as improved power outage response times, better load balancing, and more efficient power delivery, ensuring that Flint will be able to support its rural members’ electrical needs for another 85+ years. Secondly, and of equal importance, the fiber system provides an opportunity to help meet the critical need of high-speed broadband for rural Flint members who have been waiting for adequate service.”

“Today’s announcement marks Connect’s seventh project working with Georgia EMCs to deliver fiber-to-the-home internet service to their members,” Conexon Connect CEO Randy Klindt said. “The collaboration amongst Georgia’s cooperatives and their shared mission of improving the lives and communities of those they serve is inspiring to all of us at Conexon. We’re excited to work with Jeremy and his team as they move forward.”

The partnership between Flint Energies and Conexon is made possible by Senate Bill 2 passed in 2019, which allows electric membership cooperatives including Flint Energies, to provide broadband services or leverage EMC infrastructure in other ways to aid deployment of broadband. Including Flint Energies, 20 EMCs in Georgia are currently providing high-speed internet or partnering with a provider to expand broadband service in rural communities across the state. Collectively, these projects represent a $770 million investment and will impact more than 282,000 Georgians in 89 counties.

Special Photo: Georgia EMC