Broadband coming to unserved, underserved areas of Mississippi

With help from the CARES Act, broadband service is coming to unserved and underserved areas of Mississippi.

ACCEPTING GIVEN THERESPONSIBILITY OF ACCEPTINGAPPLICATIONS AND MONITORING THEGRANTS.THE LAW ALLOCATES 65 MILLION FORELECTRIC CO-OPS AND 10 MILLIONFOR OTHER INTERNET SERVICEPROVIDERS.THE 75 MILLION IN THELEGISLATION IS LEVERAGED BYREQUIRING EACH APPLICANT TOPROVIDE MATCHING FUNDS.THUS OUR INVESTMENT OF 75MILLION IN CARE ZACH MONEY ISDOUBLED AND BECOMES A HUNDREDAND FIFTY MILLION UNDER THISPROGRAM AND ACTUALLY WILL BEEVEN MORE THAN THAT AS SEVERALPROJECTS PLANNED TO PROVIDE MORETHAN A 50% MATCH.SO TODAY WE ARE AWARDING 65MILLION TO 15 COOPS WHO APPLIEDFOR THE GRANT.THIS IS SUCH A TREMENDOUS EFFORTBY THESE COOPS BECAUSE THE CARESACT REQUIRES THAT MONEY BEEXPENDED AND PROJECTS HAVEIMMEDIATE AND SUBSTANTIAL IMPACTBY THE END OF THIS YEAR THE ENDOF 2020, WHICH IS REALLY NOTTHAT FAR AWAY.THE LAW ALSO REQUIRES THAT GRANTFUNDS MAY ONLY BE USED FORUNSERVED AND UNDERSERVED AREAS.WE ALL KNOW THAT PROVIDINGINTERNET SERVICE TO RURAL AREASIS COSTLY AND VERY LABORINTENSIVE BUT THESE 15 COOPSHAVE TAKEN ON THIS CHALLENGE ANDWE’LL BE INSTALLING TWO THOUSANDSEVEN HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIVEMILES OF FIBER BY THE END OFTHIS YEAR BY THE END OF 2020 ANDAN ADDITIONAL ONE THOUSAND NINEHUNDRED AND EIGHTY MILES IN 2021FOR A TOTAL OF THOUSAND FOURHUNDRED AND MILES OF NEW FIBERTHIS FIBER WILL PASS TWENTYEIGHT THOUSAND AND FOUR HUNDREDAND FORTY SEVEN LOCATIONS BY THEEND OF THE YEAR AN ADDITIONAL 17THOUSAND THREE HUNDRED AND ANDNINE LOCATIONS IN 2021.COST FOR INTERNET SERVICEPROVIDED TO THE HOME WILL BE INLINE WITH OTHER INTERNETPROVIDERS ACROSS THE STATE.SO WE WILL ALSO AWARD 1.2MILLION TO SERVICE PROVIDERSOTHER THAN COOPS UNDER THE GRANTPROGRAM AS WELL SEVERAL OF THESEPROJECTS WILL USE FIXED WIRELESSTO PROVIDE BROADBAND TO THE HOMEA SECONDARY ROUND OF FUNDINGWILL THEN OPEN UP TO AWARD ANYFUNDS THAT ARE REMAIN IN THEPROGRAM.WHAT IS NOT AWARDED UNDER THISPROGRAM BY OCTOBER THE FIRSTTHEN WOULD REVERT TO THEUNEMPLOYMENT TRUST FUND OCTOBER1ST.THE PUBLIC UTILITIES STAFF.I’M NOW THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOROF THAT STAFF WAS NAMED IN THELEGISLATION TO ADMINISTER THEGRANT AND I WILL TELL YOU MYSTAFF HAS WORKED SO DILIGENTLYWITH VERY QUICK DEADLINES OVERTHE PAST TWO WEEKS TO REVIEW ALLOF THESE APPLICATIONS ANDGOVERNOR.I WILL TELL YOU WHEN THOSE LASTFEW WEEKS THE LEGISLATURE.I WAS A BIT FOCUSED ON OTHERBILLS.I WASN’T WATCHING THIS ASCLOSELY AS I SHOULD HAVE BUT NOWTHAT I’M THE DIRECTOR IT’S BEENSUCH A SUCH A GOOD THING TO WORKWITH THE STAFF.WE HAVE MET EACH APPLICANTEITHER IN PERSON ORELECTRONICALLY AND WE ARESATISFIED THAT THE PROJECTS THATTHEY HAVE PROVIDED AND THAT WEARE GOING TO AWARD TODAY MEETTHE CRITERIA UNDER THEMISSISSIPPI BROADBAND COVID-19GRANT PROGRAM.THE PUBLIC UTILITY STAFF WILL BEMONITORING THE GRANT PROGRAMWITH MONTHLY FIELD AUDITS EVERYMONTH FROM NOW UNTIL DECEMBERTHROUGHOUT THE COMPLETION OFTHESE PROJECTS.BUILDING OUT THIS BROADBANDNETWORK IS VERY MUCH LIKE WHATARE COOPS DID IN THE EARLYNINETEEN HUNDRED’S TO GETELECTRICITY OUT TO OUR RULEHOMES.INTERNET IS NOW SO INTEGRATED INALL AREAS OF OUR LIFE.EDUCATION MEDICAL SERVICESTELEWORK AND ECONOMICDEVELOPMENT AND WITH THEPRECAUTIONS THAT WE HAVE TO TAKETO PROTECT OURSELVES AGAINSTCOVID-19 FAST AND RELIABLEINTERNET IS A NECESSITY ANDREALLY A LIFELINE TO THE OUTSIDEWORLD.I WANT TO AGAIN THANK MY STAFFFOR THEIR HARD WORK.I WANT TO THANK SENATOR JOELCARTER CHAIR OF ENERGY IN THESENATE REPRESENTATIVE SCOTTBOUNDS CHAIR PUBLIC UTILITIES INTHE HOUSE ALONG WITH LIEUTENANTGOVERNOR HUSBAND AND SPEAKERGUNN FOR THEIR WORK ON THISLEGISLATION.AND OF COURSE GOVERNOR, I WANTTO THANK YOU FOR APPOINTING METO THIS POSITION SO I COULD BE APART OF THIS EXCITING PROJECTFROM MISSISSIPPI.THANK YOU.SALLY.JUST A YEOMAN’S WORK FROM SALLYAND HER TEAM.IT’S A PRIME EXAMPLE OF WHAT CANHAPPEN WHEN MISSISSIPPIANS PUTTHEIR HEADS TOGETHER AND GET TOWORK AND YOU KNOW.OFFENDER HEARD ME SAY THIS A LOTDURING THE 2019 CAMPAIGN, BUTI’M GOING TO SAY IT AGAIN 200YEARS AGO.PEOPLE IN AMERICA LOCATED AROUNDWHERE THERE WERE RIVERS.THAT THEY COULD GET PRODUCTS TOAND FROM THE MARKETPLACE.HUNDRED YEARS AGO PEOPLE INAMERICA LOCATED AROUND WHERE THETRAIN TRACKS WERE SO THEY COULDGET THEIR PRODUCTS TO THEMARKETPLACE.TODAY’S WORLD PEOPLE ARELOCATING AROUND WHERE THERE ISCONNECTIVITY.AND WHILE THE COVID-19 AND THECARES AT CAME ABOUT FOR ALL THEWRONG REASONS IN MY MIND, THISIS ONE EXAMPLE OF A WAY IN WHICHWE CAN TAKE THIS HORRIBLEHORRIBLE HORRIBLE TRAGEDY.CALL THE CORONAVIRUS.AND WE CAN ACTU