Conexon Internet Service Provider Connect Expands High-Speed Internet Access In Georgia With New Partnership With Middle Georgia EMC

Connect’s fiber-to-the-home networks built with Georgia cooperatives collectively will deliver access to lightning-fast broadband to 85,000 rural Georgia homes and businesses

Kansas City, MO (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) - Conexon Connect, the newly formed internet service provider created and managed by rural fiber-optic network design and construction management leader Conexon, has been selected by Middle Georgia EMC to provide access to reliable, affordable fiber broadband service for the cooperative’s 4,800 members.

The electric cooperative is teaming up with Conexon Connect to launch and deploy a 1,900-mile fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) network that will span the service territory’s seven counties in central Georgia.

The partnership with Middle Georgia EMC follows broadband expansion announcements in Georgia in which Central Georgia EMC, Southern Rivers Energy and Washington EMC announced partnerships with Conexon Connect. Now, with the four cooperatives together, approximately 85,000 central Georgia homes and businesses will have access to high-speed internet with state-of-the-art FTTH networks.

“The change that fiber broadband is going to bring to so many individuals and families in so many rural communities in Georgia is exciting,” Conexon Partner Randy Klindt said. “We are thrilled to have Middle Georgia EMC joining our other Georgia cooperatives as part of our team and contributing to a shared vision and future powered by fiber.”

Middle Georgia EMC’s $36.7 million fiber network is expected to be completed within 2 years. The first customers will be connected in 1Q 2022.

“Our members have waited long enough for high-speed access to make telemedicine, remote learning, working from home, and videoconferencing with loved ones a reality on a daily basis,” said Randy Crenshaw, President and CEO of Middle Georgia EMC. “Connect is making it possible for our cooperative to deliver this vital service at last. We are ready to show them all the opportunities that open up in a more connected community.”

The fiber-optic network will offer members access to symmetrical (same upload and download speeds) gigabit internet capabilities – among the fastest and most robust in the nation. Additionally, it will provide reliable, clear phone service and enable the benefits of smart grid capabilities to the electrical infrastructure, including improved power outage response times, better load balancing, more efficient electricity delivery and others.

Conexon and Conexon Connect work exclusively with electric cooperatives with a commitment to serving 100% of co-op members with fiber broadband. With its clients, the company has designed more than 100,000 miles of fiber, builds more than 30,000 miles per year and has connected over 200,000 subscribers.

Conexon Connect recently participated as part of Conexon’s Rural Electric Cooperative Consortium, a bidding entity awarded over $1.1 billion through the FCC’s Rural Digital Opportunity Fund Phase I auction to deliver broadband service at the gigabit (highest service level) tier. The Connect awards encompass dozens of electric co-op territories throughout 10 states. The ambitious initiatives will deliver lightning-fast symmetrical broadband service to millions of Americans – fiber to 100% of rural homes and businesses in all the territories awarded in the RDOF auction. The company’s intent is to partner with the electric cooperatives serving those awarded territories – as in the instance of the Georgia cooperatives.

About Conexon Connect
Conexon Connect is the newly formed internet services provider (ISP) arm of rural fiber broadband design and construction management leader Conexon. The subsidiary was formed to operate and manage cooperative and investor-owned fiber-to-the-home networks. Connect leverages Conexon’s decades of co-op operations, fiber-optic design and construction, telecommunications, federal and state lobbying and customer experience management expertise to successfully launch and operate projects. The Connect approach is to work exclusively with electric cooperatives to launch and deploy high-speed fiber-optic networks – the gold standard of communications transmission – enabling them to offer world-class fiber broadband to 100% of their members.

About Conexon
Conexon works with Rural Electric Cooperatives to bring fiber to the home in rural communities. The company is composed of professionals who have worked in electric cooperatives and the telecommunications industry, and offer decades of individual experience in business planning, building networks, marketing and selling telecommunications. Conexon offers its electric cooperative clients end-to-end broadband deployment and operations support, from a project’s inception all the way through to its long-term sustainability. It works with clients to analyze economic feasibility, secure financing, design the network, manage construction, provide operational support, optimize business performance and determine optimal partnerships. To date, Conexon has assisted nearly 200 electric cooperatives, nearly 50 of which are deploying fiber networks, with more than 200,000 connected fiber-to-the-home subscribers across the U.S. Overall, the company has secured more than $1.3 billion in federal and state funding for its clients across the country.

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