By Christian Jennings - bio | email
Arlington, GA (WALB) - Five south Georgia counties will soon have access to high-speed broadband Internet access even in the most rural areas.
The South Georgia Regional Information Technology Authority installed the first round of equipment Thursday to make that happen.
The initial 700 megahertz broadband wireless equipment was installed in Mitchell County at the Stripling Research park.
The director says once the digital TV transfer was complete in June, it freed up bandwidth. They say the Internet service is double the capacity and speed of a normal DSL connection.
"It's been a long time coming," said SGRITA Director Lee Conner. "It's a very difficult task to bring broadband Internet service, true broadband Internet service to rural areas. We are a very poor area. So we don't have a lot of money to invest in it, so we have to do it cost effectively, and in a fashion that doesn't burden our counties."
Basic service will likely cost about $30 a month. The technology authority plans to provide Internet access to nearly 2,000 square miles in Baker, Calhoun, Early, Miller, and Mitchell counties for home, mobile, and business use.
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