Kemp, Other Officials Announce Public–Private Partnership with Kinetic

Some 8,200 homes, businesses and schools in unserved and underserved parts of Lumpkin County will, for the first time, be eligible for high-speed fiber internet, Gov. Brian Kemp, other government officials and internet provider Kinetic said.

The $20.4 million project, to provide fiber broadband to Dahlonega and throughout the county, is expected to be completed next year.

It is a result of a public–private partnership between the county and Kinetic.

The county will use about $6.9 million in state grant money from the federal government. The money comes from the U.S. Commerce Department’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration, the Federal Communications Commission’s Rural Development Opportunity Fund, and the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds program, part of the federal American Rescue Plan COVID-19 stimulus package.

Kinetic will invest $13.5 million and cover any cost overruns.

The combined venture will enable Kinetic to lay more than 450 miles of optical fiber cable to bring high-speed internet to residences, businesses and schools.

Reliable high-speed internet is “an essential tool” that has been lacking in much of rural Georgia, Gov. Brian Kemp said. “That’s why we’ve been so focused on this kind of infrastructure, both for our employers but also for our hard-working people.”

Speaking Thursday at an event at the Dahlonega–Lumpkin County Visitors Center announcing the project, Kemp thanked the people of Windstream for “fulfilling their commitment” to bring fast, reliable fiber broadband to Lumpkin County and other rural communities “literally all over the state.”

“People want this so bad, and they’re so excited when it’s actually happening in their community,” he said.

State Senate Majority Leader Steve Gooch, R-Dahlonega, said: “I am very happy for the people who live and work in Lumpkin County. Access to rural broadband is essential, and I am very appreciative of Governor Kemp and his staff’s support to make this project a reality. Our children need it for online learning, our farmers and small businesses need it to run their operations, industry needs it to grow, and our residents need it for telemedicine, grocery shopping and to stay connected with the community.”

Board of Commissioners Chairman Chris Dockery said: “High-speed internet is a key part of our plan to build a better Lumpkin County. That’s why we made the investment. Fiber broadband is the best there is. It will help Georgians in our great county stay connected with school, healthcare services and family. It’s also critical to the success of our county’s economy and to future job creation.”

Lumpkin County Development Authority board Chairman Henry Davis thanked Kinetic “for being an outstanding community partner and for working diligently to make this broadband expansion happen.”

“We appreciate the state supporting Kinetic’s partnership with the county and investing in the future of our community,” Davis said.

“This broadband expansion will greatly enhance Lumpkin County’s telecommunications infrastructure,” he said. “We understand that high-speed internet is critical for all of our business, manufacturing, healthcare and education industries and institutions. Kinetic’s new fiber will strengthen our county’s economic development efforts and help us to attract jobs for the 21st century economy.”

Kinetic’s ultrafast fiber-optic broadband lets users upload and download at up to 1 gigabit a second, or 1,000 megabits a second, providing what is known as “next-generation access.”

“The people in Dahlonega, Garland, Auraria, Nimblewill and so many more communities will soon no longer be underserved and unserved,” Kinetic Georgia operations President Michael Foor said.

“We at Kinetic are thrilled to bring our ultrafast, reliable fiber connectivity and best-in-class internet experience to homes, businesses and schools here in Lumpkin County,” he said. “This important county deserves exceptional internet -- high-speed fiber broadband that will meet the county’s evolving demands for business, educational and personal use.”

Households and businesses may visit GoKinetic.com to find out if they are eligible for a speed upgrade and learn how Kinetic can meet their needs. They can also visit or call the Kinetic Connection Center retail store at Goldmine Village, 340 Walmart Way in Dahlonega. Its phone number is 706-867-3333.

Kinetic’s Lumpkin County fiber project is part of a $2 billion multiyear capital investment strategy by Kinetic to dramatically expand gigabit fiber service across the company’s 18-state footprint.

Kinetic’s superfast, reliable fiber connections in Lumpkin County empower residential customers to gig speeds to navigate the internet safely from home with no lag times while they work, participate in virtual classrooms or stream entertainment services. Businesses from small to enterprise size can take advantage of the fiber-backed network to deploy solutions that make their companies more efficient and profitable such as OfficeSuite UC^® and SD-WAN.

To learn more, visit GoKinetic.com.

About Kinetic

Kinetic by Windstream is a business unit of Windstream Holdings, a privately held communications and software company. Kinetic provides premium broadband, entertainment and security services through an enhanced fiber network to consumers and businesses primarily in rural areas in 18 states. The company also offers managed communications services, including SD-WAN and UCaaS, and high-capacity bandwidth and transport services to businesses across the U.S. Additional information is available at GoKinetic.com. Follow us on Twitter at @GoKineticHome.

Category: Kinetic

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