Since 2020, 100,000 rural Mississippi residents have subscribed to and received reliable high-speed internet from 17 wholly owned subsidiaries of electric cooperatives across the state.
In addition to surpassing the 100,000-subscriber milestone, the 17 electric cooperative subsidiaries have collectively built nearly 25,000 miles of fiber optical cable and invested more than $760 million for high-speed internet infrastructure.
“The collective efforts of our electric cooperatives’ subsidiaries will combine to be one of the largest economic development investments in our state’s history. The benefits of this infrastructure investment will impact Mississippians for decades to come,” Electric Cooperatives of Mississippi’s CEO Michael Callahan said. ECM is the statewide organization and the voice of electric cooperatives in Mississippi.
These 17 electric cooperatives began offering high-speed internet in 2020, so in just a short two-year time span, the cooperatives have created subsidiary organizations, secured funding, completed engineering design plans, constructed fiber lines, and are serving 100,000 rural residents with quality high-speed internet service. The number of subscribers continues to grow every day.
“The work that our cooperatives and their subsidiaries has accomplished over the past couple of years is remarkable. Reaching 100,000 subscribers collectively is an incredible milestone and a testament to the hard work of our employees across the state,” Callahan said. “As the build out for high-speed internet continues across our state, many more rural families will soon have access to reliable and fast internet service.”
