There aren’t a whole lot of silver linings to the dark cloud that the COVID-19 pandemic has cast over Mississippi, not to mention most of the world. But one beneficial outcome could be the rapid expansion of broadband internet access in rural parts of this heavily rural state.
The Mississippi Legislature earlier this year made a wise choice with a chunk of the $1.25 billion in coronavirus relief money the state received from Congress. State lawmakers set aside 10%, or $125 million, to expand high-speed internet service to areas that don’t presently have it.
Of the total, $65 million was earmarked to provide matching grants to the state’s electric power associations. Fifteen of the EPAs said they were interested. Altogether, they applied for more than $73 million in grant money, to be matched by a like amount of their own.
The state will have to figure out what to do about the $8 million difference between what’s being sought and what’s available, but the response from the co-ops is encouraging.
Until last year, even if one of these rural electricity cooperatives had wanted to start providing internet service, they could not have under existing state regulations. But that ban was thankfully lifted, aided by some heavy lobbying from the Mississippi Public Service Commission, especially Northern District Commissioner Brandon Presley.
Most of the co-ops were timid at first about committing the resources. They were not sure they could recoup their investment of running the cable, given the long distances between their customers. In much of their service area, there is only a few customers per mile of power line.
The coronavirus relief money is going to make the proposition of becoming an internet service provider much more affordable, just as federal help in the 1930s was critical to bringing electricity to rural areas.
High-speed internet, as Presley says, is now equal to electricity for families and companies. Without broadband, it’s hard to do business in the modern world, to work from home, to access information or entertainment, or even to get some essential services.
The pandemic has accentuated the importance of a fast internet connection as doctors switched to telemedicine, companies directed employees to work from home and school instruction went heavily online. Even now, as schools prepare to resume for the fall semester, many plan to offer online classes. It’s impossible for students to participate fully with this method of learning if they have no internet connection or a slow one.
The internet is also a huge economic driver. Companies and individuals are finding out that they can base their operations almost anywhere as long as they have high-speed internet. Any area that can’t provide this access is going to be bypassed in the new economy.
Statewide, less than 60% can get high-speed internet, one of the lowest rates in the nation. Mississippi, in order to assure its economic future and enhance the quality of life in rural areas, has got to get that number up. The pandemic and its repercussions have provided both the incentive and the financial means to do so.
