Jackson Jambalaya

first and only statewide rollout of 100 times faster Internet access

Jackson, Miss. (March 20, 2015) – Homeowner pre-registration exceeded the required threshold in a third area of Mississippi’s  largest city this week – helping Jackson qualify for C Spire’s ultra-fast 1 Gbps (Gigabit per second) Fiber to the Home Internet service and related super HD TV and home phone services.

Jackson’s Belhaven Northeast fiberhood reached its pre-registration target Thursday and now joins the Eastover and Fondren East fiberhoods, which qualified for the next-generation services last week.   

The Ridgeland-based telecommunications and technology services company expects to finish engineering and begin construction in the latest fiberhood in mid-July.  Commercial service is expected to be available in early November in all three areas.

Meanwhile, C Spire is continuing to work with the city to provide free Gigabit Internet access at two municipal community centers to help Jackson residents learn more about the benefits of 100 times faster broadband fiber-based broadband Internet access and related services.

The technology program, which will help the city expand its computer learning lab at the Johnnie C. Champion Community Center and offer digital literacy classes at the Medgar Evers Community Center, is expected to begin in June.

Online pre-registration began in Jackson last fall at www.cspire.com/jackson.  Since that time, several thousand residents throughout the city have expressed their interest in the suite of game-changing services by making $10 refundable deposits and providing credit card information.

“We’re pleased that the early momentum is continuing in Jackson and that the excitement of Internet at the speed of light is continuing to grow there and in other Mississippi cities,” said Suzy Hays, senior vice president of Consumer Markets for C Spire.  “Fiber to the home is a transformative technology that can serve as a platform for technology investment, economic growth and job creation.”

Jackson Mayor Tony Yarber said the latest progress shows that momentum is continuing as more residents learn about the opportunity to invest in the future. 

“It’s exciting to know that we have qualified another area of the city for this game-changing service,” Yarber said.  “I really believe we’re going to continue to see more areas qualify faster as we continue to educate consumers and as individuals share the opportunity with their neighbors.” 

Yarber said other parts of the city are making progress and are expected to qualify for the next-generation technology soon, including the Country Club and Belhaven Northwest fiberhoods.  “That’s a good thing because we want to ensure that this service is available in every area of our city where residents want it.”

Hays said Yarber and his staff are playing a critical role in helping educate and encourage residents throughout the city to pre-register for the services.  “Momentum is critical and the mayor and his staff have been a driving force in the progress we’ve experienced thus far as they have rallied volunteers, schools, community groups, churches and homeowner associations to share the vision.”

Jackson is largest city to qualify for the historic statewide technology initiative.  C Spire turned up commercial Gigabit Internet and related services for its first residential customers in Quitman, Ridgeland and Starkville last year and expects to activate service in Clinton and Corinth later this year.  Madison was added as the 7^th city in the program earlier this week.

For C Spire customers, the 1 Gbps Internet access is available for $70 a month, $90 a month for combined Internet and home phone, $130 for Internet and super HD TV and $150 a month for the entire package of all three services.  Non customers are required to pay an additional $10 a month on all packages.