Three area internet providers were awarded more than $40 million in state grants to furnish or upgrade internet access to rural areas of Southeast Missouri.
Conexon Connect, PD Fiber LLC and SEMO Electric Co-op all will benefit from the monies, which in turn serves to benefit rural customers.
Conexon Connect garnered $6.1 million for one stated project; PD Fiber, $4 million for two projects; and SEMO Electric (Go SEMO Fiber), $16 million for three projects, explained Steve Halter. Halter is the Greater Poplar Bluff Area Chamber of Commerce president.
“We’re extremely excited we had internet service providers apply for and receive these Missouri Department of Economic Development grants,” Halter said. “These providers are on fire to help rural customers get access to broadband.
“They’ll be able to provide much needed services to communities that have in the past been somewhat left out of the connectivity equation,” he continued. “We spent a lot of time and money focusing on very important things for county residents regarding infrastructure. This issue is as important, if not more important, as highway widening and bridge repairs. Our residents in or out of the city limits deserve connectivity to the rest of the world.”
Go SEMO Fiber Service Manager of Fiber Services Loyd Rice said the company plans to use the $16.6 million grant for customers in Butler County, Stoddard County and beyond.
“We’ve outlined a very aggressive 18-month time frame,” Rice said. “The design is in progress.
“$7.6 million is allocated to expand broadband services in portions of eastern Butler County,” Rice added. “$3.8 million for southern Stoddard County and $5.1 million central Stoddard County. We serve electric customers in Stoddard, Cape, Scott, New Madrid and Mississippi counties. All the grant monies are to be used for new builds outside the existing service territories.”
Rice noted that Go SEMO Fiber applied for the grant based on one notion.
“Need,” he said. “The need for broadband service in these communities being so great we felt it was our responsibility as a provider to include our neighbors to the west. The need for adequate broadband service is apparent. We felt it was time to step up.”
PD Fiber General Manager Jack Davis said the company was pleased to be named to the list of awardees.
“We’ll spend the $4 million on two projects,” Davis said. “North Dunklin County, outside of Campbell to include the Wilhelmina area and Glennonville. The second project is north and east and stops just short of Malden, across to east of Qulin,” Davis added. “It’s a very rural area and a very high cost to build. Folks there deserve broadband equity. We hope to wrap it all up by the middle to end of 2024, about 18 months. We look forward to bringing a high level of service to the area.”
Despite repeated requests for interviews, Conexon Connect did not respond.
Those interviewed will offer plans to fit most budgets, and prices average from below $70 monthly to about $85 monthly depending on mbps speeds, providers said.
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