Kinetic Fiber rural broadband groundbreaking in Lee Co.

LEESBURG, Ga. — State and county officials broke ground on rural broadband in Lee county. We caught up with them about how much of a step forward this is.

Work on Kinetic Fiber began in Atlanta in the spring of 2021, and following three years of planning, rural Lee county residents are not far off from high quality broadband.

As Sumter EMC President Rene Smith says that it’s going to play a substantial role in keeping people from leaving the county.

“Well it can mean the difference between our young families staying in this region and moving away for other job opportunities. It’s that important. It’s the lifeblood of our future to have good opportunities for our businesses and families here in a rural area,” said Rene Smith, President, Sumter EMC.

Smith also noted that during the initial outbreak of COVID, the “digital divide” became much more noticeable.

And, given the requirements needed to properly use the internet today, better broadband is not longer optional.

“If you want the freedom to use the internet and all of the technology that it offers now, that kind of broadband is needed. From streaming your television, your children doing their homework from home. When we have bad weather now, so many schools will say ‘go ahead and work from home’ some children can’t do that yet…” said Michael Foor, President, Kinetic Georgia.

Over the course of the installation period, Kinetic and Sumter EMC are going to be covering a lot of ground across the county.

“This is the start of connecting over 4,000 locations in Lee county to high speed broadband internet. It’s fantastic. It’s really a game changer for so many different things for teleworking, telehealth, education, quality of life. This is a great opportunity, and a great day in rural Georgia,” said Jessica Simmons, Exec. Director, Georgia Broadband Program.

While there’s still plenty of work to be done before this high speed broadband is up and running in rural Lee county, it’s a much needed modern amenity that’s sure to drive more people to the county.

According to Kinetic, at the time of the groundbreaking, over 400 homes in Lee county are already on the pre-registration list for rural broadband.

Brian Roche reporting.

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