Everyone in rural Marion County areas, along with the rest of the Pine Belt, has been anticipating the arrival of fiber internet service. After a year of planning and construction, PearlComm, a subsidiary of Pearl River Valley Electric Power Association, has connected its first customer.
The company could not have chosen a more delightful person than homeowner Shirley Pittman as their first customer.
Pittman lives on Mississippi 586 and has had the service for a little over a month. PearlComm wanted Pittman to have the service for a period of time before the celebration on March 16 at her home.
"The internet is wonderful. It was so slow before. I can do anything now, and it's so fast. I'm so glad to have it and to be the first," Pittman said with a huge smile on her face. "I know God's happy because I don't say those bad words anymore (at my computer). It didn't take long to figure out I loved it."
Pittman said she may be 78years old, but her son is a computer programmer in Idaho, and she used to work in a school computer lab. She knows how to use this high tech stuff, and she said nobody should ever count her out.
"I can watch movies and do FaceTime with my relatives and friends that live across the country. This is such an improvement for me," she said. "I could never go back to what I had before.”
PRVEPA CEO/General Manager Matthew Ware told onlookers that this is the largest project the company has ever undertaken. It will provide high-speed internet that is second to none, with options up to 1 GB. The project has five planned phases in five years, but Ware hopes they can decrease that to four because it is moving forward so quickly.
"It's huge how it affects communities and how it affects people's lives in rural areas," Ware said. "Residents must be members of PRVEPA. Our goal is to reach our membership, and that is our first priority."
Public Service Commissioner Dane Maxwell said the PSC has been the go-to agency for broadband.
"We advocated to get it out into the public eye. Covid opened the eyes of many to the needs of rural communities, he said. "We were able to help with state and federal leaders to get funds, and we are still looking for more funds. We got language changed in laws so that public utilities staff has the authority to do this and disperse money for it."
He added it is a process and will take time, but high-speed internet is coming to everyone.
Residents who are in the initial launch area and have pre-registered, should have received an email on March 17 to order service.
"If you are ready for fiber to your home, pre-register for service at PearlCommFiber.net. If we aren’t in your neighborhood just yet, don’t be discouraged – fiber is worth the wait, and PearlComm is committed to bringing access to 100% of our members over the next five years," PearlComm said in a press release. "We won’t stop until we do."
