Mississippi is awash with money available to extend internet services to households and areas in DeSoto County that don’t have high-speed access to the information highway.

Now, the key is to get the funds to the work necessary to provide the service.

Southaven approves funding for amphitheater expansion

The sort of blank check to cover the costs was issued Thursday, Dec. 9 by Brandon Presley, the regional Mississippi Public Service commissioner, during a meeting in Hernando.

“We haven’t got a money problem,” said Presley, the elected Northern District commissioner. “What we have is a planning crunch and execution problem.”

He asked DeSoto County leaders, along with internet and electricity service providers, to share all their data, to set a deadline, and petition the state for its resources. The parties already have worked together, but Presley suggested they set a year-end deadline to access new funds.

“Deadlines drive activity,” he said.

Accentuating the state of finances in Mississippi government, Presley said again, “We have an unprecedented amount of money,” adding, “… and unprecedented opportunity.”

The $1.2 trillion federal infrastructure package signed last month by President Joe Biden is one funding resource. Mississippi is poised to get millions — perhaps $1 billion dollars — for broadband access. But state officials will need to decide what counties get the funds.

Another resource could be the Coronavirus Capital Projects Fund, designed to “address many challenges laid bare by the pandemic,” according to the U.S. Treasury’s website.

Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves must send in the state’s application for $162 million by Dec. 27, Presley said.

The stakes are high. DeSoto County’s remarkable growth in recent decades could be impeded if high-speed internet services aren’t extended to underserved areas. Internet access is a top-tier question asked of real estate agents, said Lee Caldwell, DeSoto County District 4 supervisor.

“This is as important as the road in front of their home in this world,” she said.

An analysis this summer revealed 16.4% of the people in Caldwell’s district do not have access to high-speed internet — the highest of all five DeSoto County districts.

“It’s shocking,” Caldwell said.

She has worked for years to get better internet access across the county, but businesses that provide internet are for-profit, and lesser-populated areas just aren’t profitable.

The service analysis, conducted this summer, determined where and what kind of internet service households have across the county. Her office evaluated 69,458 residence addresses by inputting them into broadband provider websites. The findings revealed 5,018 households, or approximately 14,201 people, do not have access to high-speed broadband service, defined as a minimum download speed of 100 Mbps for the survey.

Xfinity, C-Spire and AT&T provide internet service in DeSoto County, as well as Northcentral Connect, a new business. Northcentral Connect is an outgrowth of Northcentral Electric Cooperative.

In 2019, the Mississippi legislature passed the Rural Broadband Enabling Act allowing electric power cooperatives to establish internet providing affiliates. The measure was designed to get internet service to areas not served by for-profit companies.

Northcentral created Northcentral Connect. The affiliate company has laid fiber for nearly a year and acquired 1,200 customers, said Kevin Doddridge, CEO and general manager.

“We aren’t as productive as we are busy. We’re having some labor issues and issues getting the fiber,” Doddridge said. “We can only do so much so fast because of the resources.”

While households in underserved areas can acquire internet service through satellite or DSL, fiber optic infrastructure is considered superior. According to Doddridge, fiber optic will handle the increased use of the internet into the future.

It’s currently costing Northcentral Connect $65,000 a mile to extend fiber.

Northcentral Connect’s original business plan didn’t call for obtaining funding elsewhere, but the CARES Act economic stimulus money became available early in the pandemic, Doddridge said. Northcentral acquired about $2 million spent in the Byhalia area of Marshall County.

Northcentral serves an eastern portion of DeSoto County, and the internet affiliate is providing service in the northeastern corner with plans to grow into other areas there. Northcentral is following an application process for $25 million in federal funds that will help fund growth.

Entergy provides electrical service to most of DeSoto County. Its representative at the meeting said it’s possible the company may lease infrastructure to for-profit companies to help provide internet service to the underserved areas.

Chase Bryan, a manager at C-Spire, headquartered in Ridgeland, Mississippi, said density, distribution of fiber, and demand are keys to determining whether a for-profit company provides service. C-Spire uses a “hub and spoke” model, identifying the areas with the greatest density and then moving outward from that hub, he said.

At the same time, it wants to help underserved areas — for everyone to have high-speed internet.

“It will benefit everyone,” Bryan said, “but it’s going to take time.”

Mark Gardner, District 2 supervisor and president of the Board of Supervisors, indicated county government could help financially under certain circumstances.

“Keep that in mind going forward,” Gardner said, addressing the internet service providers. “Realize we will partner with you on that.”