Alcorn County town turns initial area "green" as part of nation's first and only statewide rollout of 100 times faster Internet access
Corinth, Mississippi (December 23, 2014) - Corinth, long known as the "Crossroads" city of the South, may soon become famous for being one of the nation's most technologically advanced cities.
The Alcorn County town in northeastern Mississippi qualified its first area this week for C Spire's historic 1 Gbps (Gigabit per second) Fiber to the Home initiative, offering 100 times faster Internet access and related services.
Municipal leaders and C Spire officials said Corinth's North fiberhood, one of three in the city, reached its 45 percent target for homeowner pre-registration on Tuesday, paving the way for the engineering and construction phases of the historic fiber optic technology initiative to begin in 2015.
Corinth joins the cities of Quitman, Ridgeland and Starkville, who qualified for the ground-breaking technology earlier this year. C Spire turned up service for its first commercial Gigabit customers in the three Mississippi cities last month.
"I'm so proud and humbled by the dozens of volunteers who came together to make this a reality for our town," said Mayor Tommy Irwin, noting that Corinth will join only a handful of U.S. cities - less than 1 percent - who have 100 times faster Internet and related super HD TV and home phone services.
While efforts have been underway in the 14,870 population town to sign up residents since last December, the campaign intensified and gained important momentum in recent weeks led by local chamber officials, business and education leaders, the local newspaper and community volunteers.
"We're pleased that the city of Corinth has reach its initial goal and that the excitement and anticipation of 100 times faster Internet is so strong there and in other Mississippi cities," said Suzy Hays, senior vice president of Consumer Markets for C Spire. "Fiber to the home is a next-generation technology that will help Corinth and other Mississippi cities become hubs for future investment and growth."
Irwin, an early proponent of the technology who championed approval of a franchise agreement that paved the way for the city to pursue the initiative, said Corinth's initial success will help the continuing push to get the game-changing technology in its remaining two fiberhoods.
"We've still got a lot of work to do in qualifying other areas, but I'm excited that we have the opportunity to bring this advanced technology to the residents of our city," Irwin said, noting that the city is also celebrating its largest single-year sales tax increase in municipal history.
Homeowner pre-registration began last December for cities selected by C Spire as finalists for the nation's first and only statewide roll out of next-generation 100 times faster Internet access, super HD digital television and home phone services.
"Fiber to the Home can be a transformative technology for communities, serving as a platform for innovation and a host of new Internet applications and experiences yet to be imagined," Hays said. "We're excited to partner with Corinth and other Mississippi cities to be a catalyst for technology investment, economic growth and job creation."
Hays said C Spire is on a mission to move Corinth and other Mississippi cities from worst to first in national rankings for average Internet speeds and consumer access to ultra-fast broadband services, noting that the strong support and engagement of cities is the primary reason for the fast-moving initiative's success.
Since announcing the first cities last November, C Spire has moved from vision to reality in 12 months. In contrast, Google, one of the world's largest technology companies, took nearly three years before it began offering Gigabit fiber services in Kansas City, Kansas. "Our initiative is great example of what can be accomplished when cities, communities and leaders work together to move Mississippi forward," Hays added.
For C Spire customers, the 1 Gbps Internet access is available for $70 a month, $90 a month for combined Internet and home phone, $130 for Internet and super HD TV and $150 a month for the three-service package. Non-customers must pay an additional $10 a month on all packages.
Online pre-registration remains open in Corinth at www.cspire.com/corinth. Residents are required to make a $10 refundable deposit and indicate their interest for specific services. To learn more about C Spire's Fiber to the Home initiative, visit www.cspire.com/fiberhome.
About C Spire
C Spire is a diversified telecommunications and technology services company that provides world-class, customer-inspired wireless communications, 1 Gigabit consumer Internet access as well as a full suite of Internet, wireless and Internet and data services for businesses. This news release and other announcements are available at www.cspire.com/news. For more information about C Spire, visit www.cspire.com or follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/cspire or Twitter at www.twitter.com/cspire.
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