$20.4 million fiber-broadband project to benefit over 8,000 customers in Lumpkin County, Ga.
(UI) – Some 8,200 homes, businesses and schools in unserved and underserved parts of Lumpkin County will, for the first time, be eligible for high-speed fiber internet, Gov. Brian Kemp, other government officials and internet provider Kinetic said.
The $20.4 million project, to provide fiber broadband to Dahlonega and throughout the county, is expected to be completed next year.
It is a result of a public–private partnership between the county and Kinetic.
The county will use about $6.9 million in state grant money from the federal government. The money comes from the U.S. Commerce Department’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration, the Federal Communications Commission’s Rural Development Opportunity Fund, and the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds program, part of the federal American Rescue Plan COVID-19 stimulus package.
Kinetic will invest $13.5 million and cover any cost overruns.
The combined venture will enable Kinetic to lay more than 450 miles of optical fiber cable to bring high-speed internet to residences, businesses and schools.
Reliable high-speed internet is “an essential tool” that has been lacking in much of rural Georgia, Gov. Brian Kemp said. “That’s why we’ve been so focused on this kind of infrastructure, both for our employers but also for our hard-working people.”
Board of Commissioners Chairman Chris Dockery said, “High-speed internet is a key part of our plan to build a better Lumpkin County. That’s why we made the investment. Fiber broadband is the best there is. It will help Georgians in our great county stay connected with school, healthcare services and family. It’s also critical to the success of our county’s economy and to future job creation.”
Lumpkin County Development Authority board Chairman Henry Davis thanked Kinetic “for being an outstanding community partner and for working diligently to make this broadband expansion happen.”
Kinetic’s ultrafast fiber-optic broadband lets users upload and download at up to 1 gigabit a second, or 1,000 megabits a second, providing what is known as “next-generation access.”
Kinetic’s Lumpkin County fiber project is part of a $2 billion multiyear capital investment strategy by Kinetic to dramatically expand gigabit fiber service across the company’s 18-state footprint.
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