ATLANTA – Ocmulgee Electric Membership Corp. (EMC) on Tuesday announced plans to launch a fiber-optic network that will provide high-speed Internet service to customers in five central Georgia counties.
Eastman-headquartered EMC will partner with Kansas City-based Conexon Connect to roll out broadband 2,100 miles to up to 8,000 customers in Laurens, Dodge, Bleckley, Pulaski and Telfair counties.
The project is funded by a $19 million federal pandemic relief grant, with the ultimate goal of bringing broadband to all Ocmulgee EMC customers.
“Ocmulgee EMC members deserve high-speed Internet access. said WH Peacock, general manager of Ocmulgee EMC. “Our co-op is happy to partner with Conexon Connect to enable our members to finally have broadband.”
Conexon launched its first broadband project in Georgia over a year ago.
“With the addition of the Ocmulgee EMC fiber optic network, Conexon will build 200 miles per week in the state, making service available in previously unserved rural Georgia at a rate of 1,000 to 2,000 homes per week,” said Jonathan Chambers, a Conexon partner.
“I know there are more under construction in Georgia, but these networks belong to the people we serve. …I expect the Ocmulgee EMC network, like other EMC projects, to become a model for the rest of the state and the nation.
The new project will come out of the ground in September. The first customers are expected to be connected early next year and project completion is estimated at two to four years.
This story is available through a news partnership with Capitol Beat News Service, a project of the Georgia Press Educational Foundation.
