Collins in midst of being wired up

JACKSON, Miss. (WDAM) - A healthy chunk of the Collins market could find itself with access to high-speed broadband internet in the very near future.

TEC, a leading broadband provider, has broken ground on a project to bring fast-fiber internet availability to the Collins area in Covington County.

The 42-mile project will provide more than 400 customers with access to high-speed internet.

The Collins wire-up is another step in TEC’s plan to provide more than 23,000 families and businesses in MIssissippi with access to services such as distance education and telemedicine.

TEC was one of 386 competing companies in the Federal Communications Commission auction, which awarded $9 billion in November, 2020 to companies for the provision of broadband internet to unserved and underserved areas throughout the United States.

TEC, with the assistance of the FCC, will fund the building and delivery of broadband access to 10 counties in MIssissippi, including Covington, and Jasper counties.

“We are very excited to see TEC expand into Covington County and know how beneficial it will be to our members,” said Jan Collins, vice president of communications for Southern Pine Electric in Taylorsville.

“With fast fiber internet, we will have better access to many opportunities,including better health care, more educational opportunities, and the chance to enjoy the internet as it was meant to be.”

TEC employs more than 200 people across Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Louisiana. TEC has invested in and maintains about 1,700 miles of fiber in its rural markets.

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