East Mississippi Connect awarded $38.6 million grant to expand broadband in rural areas

East Mississippi Connect (EMC) was awarded $38,600,320.90 in grant funding over ten years from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) through the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) to expand fiber-to-the-home broadband internet to homes and businesses within the service territory of its parent company, East Mississippi Electric Power Association (EMEPA).

EMC is a wholly-owned subsidiary of EMEPA and will expand its existing internet service over a five-year period to FCC designated unserved or underserved rural areas of Clarke, Lauderdale, Kemper and Winston counites and portions of surrounding counties. The project will pass more than 37,000 homes and businesses along 3,867 miles of fiber in rural east Mississippi.

EMEPA previously received $6 million in matching grant funds from the Mississippi Public Utilities Staff as part of the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act funding. With the two grants combined, EMEPA and EMC together will be awarded $44.6 million in outside funding to close the digital divide for rural east Mississippi.

“We are excited to see how this much needed service transforms the lives of our members, as well as our local businesses,” EMEPA CEO Randy Carroll says. “With additional grant funding from RDOF, we’re able to continue building our fiber network to deliver high-speed fiber-to-the-home internet service until we reach every part of our service area.”

In addition to fast fiber internet, EMC will also begin offering Voice over Internet Protocol – known as VoIP – phone service to members.

For more information or to register for service, visit EastMSConnect.com.