Conexon Connect, the internet service provider formed by rural fiber-optic network design and construction management leader Conexon, announced it has been selected by Georgia electric membership corporation (EMC) Flint Energies to deliver high-speed fiber internet access for unserved and underserved residents in the EMC's middle Georgia service territory.
Conexon will support the design and construction of a robust, nearly 3,000-mile fiber network spanning nine counties within Flint's service territory. This network will enable Flint to leverage fiber-optic technology to strengthen its electric system, while facilitating the deployment of smart grid efficiencies and capabilities, the companies said in a statement. Smart grid technology will offer the EMC benefits such as improved power outage response times, better load balancing, and more efficient electricity delivery.
"The collaboration between Flint Energies and Conexon offers multiple advantages," Conexon Partner and Conexon Connect CEO Randy Klindt said. "The state-of-the-art infrastructure improvements that smart grid delivers will provide Flint with operational efficiencies and benefits, while the Connect partnership gives Flint Energies an opportunity to assist in meeting the broadband needs of unserved and underserved members. We're proud to be part of another Georgia project and look forward to working with the Flint team."
According to a press statement, Conexon Connect will lease excess fibers of the network to meet the critical need for high-speed internet among rural Georgia residents with fiber to the home.
The project targeting unserved and underserved EMC members will make Connect, powered by Flint Energies, service available to approximately 31,000 homes, businesses, and institutions across Georgia's Crawford, south Houston, Macon, Marion, Muscogee, Peach, Schley, Talbot, and Taylor counties.
Flint's nearly $90 million fiber-optic network is expected to be completed within four years. The network will offer members access to symmetrical gigabit internet capabilities. Additionally, it will provide reliable, clear phone service, promised the ISP.
"Flint is strengthening its overall electric system through a fiber backbone that gives us smart grid operational benefits that will enhance our ability to continue offering exceptional service to members," Flint Energies CEO Jeremy Nelms commented. "That initiative allows us to also meet the pressing needs of our unserved and underserved members for high-speed internet. We believe the time for us to act is now, and we're thrilled to have found partners like Conexon and Conexon Connect to make this happen."