Lazaro Aleman
ECB Publishing, Inc.
True to his promise to elected officials in the four-county region that Tri-County Electric Cooperative Inc. (TCEC) serves, CEO and Executive Director Julius Hackett announced recently the first connection of its rural fiber-option broadband system, in partnership with Conexon Connect.
The system’s first customer to get gigabit-speed Internet, according to the two companies’ press release on Tuesday, Jan. 17, was Steinhatchee resident Jeff Tucker in Taylor County. Hackett explained that the choice of Steinhatchee for the first installation was because it was the closest geographically to the source provider.
He said that Tucker, who operates an e-commerce business from his home, now had full access to the best that the Internet had to offer.
“I can stream a movie, surf the Internet and there is not one sign of a slowdown,” Tucker was quoted saying in the press release. “A truly awesome service by the great people at Conexon and Tri-County Electric Co-op. A huge thank you to everyone involved.”
TCEC announced its planned launch of a fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) project in April of 2022, with the idea of eventually deploying nearly 2,400 miles of fiber network to provide high-speed Internet access to approximately 12,000 to 15,000 homes and businesses in Jefferson, Madison, Taylor and Dixie counties.
At the time, Hackett vowed to see the project through to completion.
“Recognizing the need for reliable Internet service, TCEC and Conexon will continue our efforts until all of our members are connected,” Hackett said.
TCEC and Conexon, which together have invested about $65 million to construct the network, expect to see it completed within two to three years.
As the two described the network, it is designed for quality, reliable, sustainable high-speed Internet service that can be built efficiently and safely. The two say the network will become widely available in time as their crews continue putting down the system in the four counties.
Specific to Jefferson County, the board of commissioners in October voted to give Tri-County all $3.5 million that the county had received in state, federal and NextEra funding for broadband expansion, to ensure that the Internet connectivity service being provided by TCEC was extended to all residents, not only the company’s customers.
At the time, Hackett told the board that his company’s plan was to bring border-to-border Internet service to every resident in Jefferson County. He promised that the county would soon be seeing the fruits of its investment.
Hackett further affirmed that theirs would not be fiber to the road, where residents would then be responsible for bringing the service from the road to their homes at their costs.
“Ours will go straight to the home,” he said. “It doesn’t matter if you’re 2,000 feet away from the road, if you’re 1,500 feet away, or if you’re 50 feet away.”
The same applied to businesses, he said. The cost of the extension from the road to the home or business, he said, would be on Tri-County.
“This is going to be a game changer,” Hackett said.
When the project is completed, Tri-County will offer three Internet plans that customers can choose from, depending on their needs, absent data caps, contracts or required bundles. With the availability of three Internet plans, customers can expect pay $99 monthly for the top plan of two-gigabit Internet, including installation and equipment during the construction phases, according to the press release.
To check availability, sign up for the service, or receive more information, visit ConexonConnect.com.