Georgia Electric Management Corporation updated members of the Georgia House Rural Development Council Wednesday on the increasing number of counties with broadband internet access through their local EMCs.
When Senate Bill 2 was signed in 2019, only two EMCs, Blue Ridge and Habersham provided broadband services. Now, 19 EMCs provide or partner with the broadband expansion project.
Jason Bragg, vice president of government affairs for Georgia EMC, told the council the EMC project, funded by $650 million from state and federal sources, is bringing broadband to more than 236,000 Georgians and 77 counties.
“We now have 19 EMCs across the state where some are providing these services or they are using other unique arrangements to help bring that service to their communities,” Bragg said.
Bragg also said EMCs are investing more into fiber technology for faster internet speeds to help residents work, study and connect more efficiently.
The Federal Communications Commission defines broadband as an internet connection with speeds of at least 25 megabits per second for downloading files and 3 megabits per second to upload. Broadband represents the government’s standard for acceptable internet speeds to support Americans’ work and education.
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