Dixie Electric preparing broadband for residents in pilot project area

Hattiesburg, Miss. (WDAM) - In an effort to bring broadband service to more rural areas in Mississippi, Dixie Electric is starting a new broadband internet company, called, DE Fastlink.

Communications Manager Lydia Walters explains the importance of the new company and how the project is being made possible.

“Currently, Dixie Electric and DE Fastlink are doing a pilot project in southern Jones County and northern Perry County for high-speed internet. These are the pilot project because we received grant funding from the Cares through the State of Mississippi to cover roughly half of the cost of the project. The full cost of that project is about 7.4 million dollars,” said Walters.

Dixie Electric’s System Engineer Jeremy McAndrew explains the process of the project and how it will impact families.

“We started last week with our building being delivered and now, we are hanging fiber this week,” McAndrew said. “And in the next few weeks, we’ll be lighting that fiber up and we’ll be installing services to people who pre-registered and go through the registration process, and all for the community down there, it’s going to be great. You know a lot of people don’t have access to high-speed internet or very little internet at all.”

Dixie Electric members in the pilot project area could see fiber internet as soon as December.

For more information on DE Fastlink you can go to the website below:

https://defastlink.net/

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