Madison County city joins Horn Lake, Quitman and Starkville among those qualified
for rollout of nation’s first multi-city rollout of ultra-fast 1 Gigabit Internet access
Ridgeland, Miss (Feb. 20, 2014) – C Spire announced today that the city of Ridgeland has qualified its
first area for the company’s ultra-fast 1 Gbps (Gigabit per second) fiber to the home Internet and related
digital television and home phone services.
Ridgeland’s Bridgewater fiberhood joins areas in Horn Lake and Starkville and the entire town of
Quitman where homeowners exceeded their pre-registration targets, which means C Spire can now
launch the engineering and construction phases of its historic fiber optics technology initiative that
promises Internet access up to 100 times faster than national average broadband speeds.
“We’re pleased that Ridgeland has reached an important milestone and has qualified its first area for
Internet at the speed of light,” said Hu Meena, president and CEO of C Spire. “Fiber to the home is
a next-generation technology infrastructure that will help Mississippi cities become hubs for future
investment and growth.”
Ridgeland Mayor Gene McGee, whose city already has a reputation as one of the nation’s most family
and business friendly communities, said municipal leaders have been focused on educating and
informing residents about the benefits associated with fiber to the home since first learning about the
initiative last year.
“It’s exciting to make this opportunity available to our residents,” McGee said. “This is technology
infrastructure that will enhance education and small business creation, attract high-tech business
investment, jobs and new families while boosting home values and the quality of life in our city.”
Nine Mississippi Cities Part of Initial Phase of Ultra-fast Fiber to the Home Initiative
Homeowner pre-registration began last December in Batesville, Clinton, Corinth, Hattiesburg, Horn Lake,
McComb, Quitman, Ridgeland and Starkville, who were selected by C Spire as finalists for the nation’s
first and only statewide roll out of next-generation Internet access, premium HD digital television and
home phone services.
Since that time, local government, community and business leaders in the nine Mississippi cities have
rallied residents to pre-register for the service at percentage levels that would qualify their areas to
be among the first for C Spire’s build out of the service. All of the cities have campaigns underway
and many are making steady progress, but efforts in Ridgeland and the three other cities paid early
dividends in the last several days.
With volunteers canvassing the Bridgewater neighborhood in recent days and a series of high-profile
community events, Ridgeland was able to qualify its first fiberhood on Wednesday, according to Jared Baumann, brand product manager for C Spire’s consumer fiber services. More fiberhoods are expected
to turn “green” in the coming weeks as efforts continue to gain momentum in other C Spire Fiber cities.
“What’s really exciting about this opportunity is that we can only grasp today a small fraction of the
potential we are unlocking for our city’s future,” McGee said. “I can envision tremendous benefits and
growth opportunities for future generations as a result of our efforts. It definitely solidifies and builds
on our reputation as one of the most progressive cities in America.”
Ridgeland mayor promises to continue pre-registration efforts for 1 Gig service
Besides enlisting schools, homeowner groups and businesses and tapping into the city’s extensive social
media channels to amplify the message, McGee said he made it a personal priority to communicate daily
with residents about the public policy benefits of fiber optic infrastructure. “We’ve been very focused
on making this a reality in our city and so we use every chance we get to let everyone know about the
tremendous benefits and the special opportunity this represents.”
McGee, who has gone door to door canvassing residents, sent pre-recorded telephone messages and
led a 27-mile bike ride through 12 of the city’s neighborhoods to raise awareness about the need to pre-
register for C Spire’s Fiber to the Home service, said he and his staff plan to continue efforts to sign up
the remaining nine fiberhoods in Ridgeland for Gigabit infrastructure.
“We won’t be content until we have every neighborhood in our city qualified for this service,” he said.
“We hope the progress we’ve already made in Bridgewater will encourage efforts in other fiberhoods in
our city who want to keep up with their neighbors and get access to some of the fastest Internet in the
world.”
Pre-registration remains open in all nine C Spire fiber cities. Residents are required to make a $10
refundable deposit and indicate their interest for specific services.
For C Spire customers, the 1 Gbps Internet access will be available for $70 a month, $90 a month for
combined Internet and home phone, $130 a month for Internet and digital TV and $150 a month for the
entire package of all three services. Non customers will be required to pay an additional $10 a month
on all packages.
“Ridgeland is the latest example of the tremendous amount of excitement in each of these communities
and a strong desire to be among the first to receive the 1 Gig Internet service to the home,” Meena
said. “We’re looking forward to bringing tomorrow’s technology to these Mississippi communities today
because we know that this service has the power to transform communities into hubs for technology
investment, economic growth and job creation.”
Baumann said C Spire hopes to start turning up 1 Gig service in the first C Spire Fiber neighborhoods
by this summer. The service is expected to pave the way for improvements in the areas of healthcare,
education, civic life, municipal services and economic growth.
To learn more about C Spire’s Fiber to the Home initiative, visit www.cspire.com/fiberhome.
