More internet availability is coming to Brown County through Jackson County REMC.
As soon as next summer, Jackson County REMC power customers will have the opportunity to sign up for high-speed broadband service.
Mark McKinney, general manager and CEO of Jackson County REMC, said the plan is to add Brown County in phase two of the Jackson Connect project. That plan will go before the board of directors this week, he said.
“Our project is going to be a true fiber into the home for every member of Jackson County REMC that wants service,” he said.
Jackson County REMC serves about 1,200 power customers in Brown County, with the majority living in Van Buren Township and three in Washington Township.
Extending fiber internet service to Brown County will cost about $3.5 million, McKinney said.
He said the Brown County phase could begin around August, and it would take about a year to complete construction. It will involve laying around $20 million worth of fiber, or about 740 miles in 12 months. About 140 miles of fiber in Phase Two will be installed in Brown County.
“The drop installation for, let’s say, Brown County, could occur anywhere during that timeline and even extend beyond that timeline,” he said. “This is basically getting the infrastructure in place to allow us to do the (service) drops.”
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In March, the Seymour Tribune reported that Jackson County REMC will use a $74 million loan from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to finance the project.
The entire project, announced in June 2017, involves installing fiber-optic line on existing utility poles and then to the homes of the company’s 20,000-plus customers. It will cost $59,331,071.
The remainder of the federal loan will be used to build 60 miles of new electrical line, improve 10 miles of existing electrical line and make other system improvements, The Tribune reported.
Construction started in Jackson County in October. McKinney said he would like to see the entire project completed within the next four years.
He said that the plan is not to extend internet service to every member but only to members who request it by visiting jacksonconnect.net.
If customers opt to receive the service while their phase is being built, it will be installed at no charge, McKinney said.
Service prices begin at $54.95 per month for 50 mbps. A Wi-Fi router will be provided at no additional charge.
In January, McKinney and James Tanneberger, president and chief executive officer for South-Central Indiana REMC, attended a Brown County Council meeting to talk about their companies’ internet plans. The council told them they were willing to do anything necessary to bring high-speed internet to REMC customers in Brown County.
On March 21, the Brown County Commissioners approved an ordinance declaring the entire county as an infrastructure development zone, using a state law created in 2013.
McKinney said that ordinance is why Jackson County REMC is looking at Brown County for phase two of its project.
State law allows companies to receive property tax exemptions for increasing the availability of broadband. The company would not have to pay taxes on the facilities or technologies it uses to deploy or transmit service. Brown County’s version of that law would allow companies to receive exemptions on their business personal property taxes.
Phase one included connecting 1,000 homes in Jackson County REMC’s service area to high-speed broadband internet.
McKinney said there will be at least a third phase after phase two is complete. “Phase three may be the rest of the service territory, depending on how things go,” he said.
“For the most part, if you are a Jackson County REMC member in Brown County, you will have the availability to our fiber optic connection,” McKinney said. “Our board is committed to making sure every member who wants it will get it. … That is really the message we want to send.”
The Jackson County REMC board of directors also has authorized Jackson Connect to hook up nonmembers, like schools or courthouses, because it services “our membership as a whole,” he said.
“We feel like this is something that we can do for our members to help bridge that digital divide that seems to grow each and every day,” McKinney said.
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Who?
Jackson Connect is in phase one of installing fiber-optic internet to homes in Jackson County.
Phase two will serve Jackson County REMC customers in Brown County, in Van Buren Township and a small portion of Washington Township. This phase is expected to provide internet to around 1,200 members in Brown County.
CEO and General Manager Mark McKinney said he doesn’t know how many phases it will take to bring fiber internet to all of their power customers, but that’s the goal, and they hope it can be done within four years.
When?
Construction on phase two could start in August and is expected to last one year.
As soon as the infrastructure is installed, contractors will come to members’ homes to do connections to the home. A technician will be responsible for hooking up Wi-Fi routers and making sure connections are proper so internet is available as soon as they leave the house, McKinney said.
Cost
Jackson Connect is offering three packages:
Tier 1: $54.95 per month for 50 mbps
Tier 2: $69.95 per month for 100 mbps
Tier 3: $99.95 per month 500 mpbps
Tier 3: $149.95 per month for 1 gbps
Installation will cost nothing for Jackson County REMC power customers during the rollout phase.
Learn more
Visit jacksonconnect.net for more information and to request service to your home.
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