C Spire is willing to install expensive fiber optic cables to deliver lightning-fast Internet throughout McComb for free. But there’s a catch: Residents have to want it.
Libba Alford, a McComb resident who’s an advocate of C Spire’s Fiber to the Home initiative, said the fiber optic Internet, which is up to 100 times faster than existing broadband Internet, could be a “game-changer” for McComb.
“It’s a momentum-changer for a community,” she said. “This has landed in our lap. It could make us great.”
A certain percentage of residents in two of six McComb neighborhoods must pre-register for the service before a Dec. 31 deadline in order for the 1-gigabit-per-second cable to be installed.
“We are down to the final countdown,” Alford said. “We’ve got about 60 days to get this done.”
Registration requires a $10 deposit, and there is no obligation to purchase the service should McComb receive the cable.
However, should residents purchase the service after pre-registering, the wire will be laid to their homes for free, saving $300 on installation fees.
Alford outlined a laundry list of benefits McComb would receive from fiber Internet.
“It could be huge in education,” she said. “It can connect students to the best teachers in the world by bringing them into the classroom.”
The medical industry could benefit similarily by bringing in top doctors virtually.
She also pointed out, “Speed matters to businesses.” If McComb had the cutting-edge Internet, more businesses and industries would move to the area.
Alford said Chattanooga, Tennessee, spent millions of dollars for fiber Internet and has seen a massive resurgence.
While fiber could bring new faces and places to McComb, it could also help existing, local businesses.
Greg Gibson is the owner of MapToolBox in McComb. As a land-centric technology company, Gibson stores a lot of data for clients. He has to store it on the East Coast. Fiber Internet would allow him to store data locally and cheaper.
“We have to rent computer systems somewhere else when we could just do it here,” he said.
Gibson also noted fiber Internet would lower other providers’ prices.
Retired McComb physician Dr. Ralph Brock said he signed up to help the town succeed.
“I’ve lived in McComb all my life,” he said. “I like to do anything to help McComb. ... I was more than willing to put up my $10.”
At 89, Brock said he stays up to date on what’s happening in the area. He knows good-paying jobs are vital for McComb. He said fiber Internet would aid in bringing new business to the area.
“If somebody is looking at this area and we don’t have it (fiber), there are too many areas to look,” he said. “If you don’t have it, they just won’t look at us.”
Alford also said the potential increased job market could draw McComb natives back to the area.
“It’s an opportunity for us to pull back our kids,” she said.
Property values are another key component of fiber, which is underground and less affected by weather, Alford said.
“It will raise your property value $2,000 to $5,000 here in the city of McComb without any other change,” she said. “It’s just that important.”
Rental property owners can also pre-register all of their properties, Alford said. Then, if the renter agrees to pay for the service, the landlord benefits from having the fiber optic connection.
Alford feels passionately about the potential benefits of fiber Internet in the area. Missing the free opportunity for fiber cables would be a setback. She said pre-registering should be a team effort throughout the neighborhoods.
“Please encourage your neighbors to sign up as well. One by one we can make a difference in building a successful McComb,” she said.
McComb still has a ways to go before meeting the required goal. The Reservation neighborhood has 35 percent sign-up out of the required 45 percent, while Edgewood has 9 percent out of 35 percent, the States has 7 percent out of 35 percent, Algiers/Baertown has 2 percent out of 45 percent, Burg-lund has 1 percent out of 35 percent and East McComb has 5 percent out of 45 percent.
For more information, stop by the McComb C Spire store at 112-A Anna Drive or visit www.cspire.com/home-services/cities.
