Broadband expansion announced in Jackson, Banks, Madison counties

ATLANTA — Gov. Brian Kemp lauded the news of Jackson Electric Membership Corp. and TruVista announcing an agreement to deliver fiber broadband to 8,000 homes and businesses in three counties in Jackson EMC’s service area: Jackson, Banks and Madison. The collaboration means TruVista will install hundreds of miles of fiber-optic cable in Jackson EMC’s service area.

“This announcement is the latest in a long line of successful partnerships between EMCs across Georgia and private providers to increase internet access for our rural communities,” Kemp said in a news release. “When I signed Senate Bill 2 in 2019, it opened the door for partnerships like this to provide broadband service. Now, 19 projects involving EMCs have led to 244,000 Georgians receiving broadband access, opening doors for all to pursue new economic, educational and social opportunities.”

TruVista officials say they plan to begin offering broadband service to unserved and underserved Jackson EMC members and expects construction to be complete by the end of 2023. Broadband service initially will be available to Jackson EMC members in Jackson County as part of Truvista’s commitment to the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund requirements, followed by Banks and Madison counties. Once service becomes available, TruVista will manage accounts, customer service and support requests.

“TruVista looks for every opportunity to bring best—in-class broadband services to rural households and businesses in and around its Georgia and South Carolina footprint,” Carla French, president and CEO of TruVista, said. “This partnership between TruVista and Jackson EMC will enable underserved residents of Jackson, Banks and Madison counties to receive fast, reliable, and always-on internet services in a much shorter time frame than would have been anticipated without this agreement.”

The agreement between Jackson EMC and TruVista is made possible by Senate Bill 2, passed in 2019, which allows electric membership cooperatives including Jackson EMC to provide broadband services or leverage EMC infrastructure in other ways to aid deployment of broadband. TruVista also is taking advantage of the recent “One Buck Deal,” a decision made by the Georgia Public Service Commission requiring EMCs to give qualified broadband providers access to their utility poles for new attachments in unserved areas for $1 per pole per year. The rate is available to broadband providers for six years — an unprecedented incentive to promote high-speed internet expansion in areas that need broadband the most.

Including Jackson EMC, 19 EMCs in Georgia are currently providing high-speed internet or partnering with a provider to expand broadband service in rural communities across the state.

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