$10.3M Kinetic fiber project to benefit 3,400 in Chattooga County, GA$10.3M Kinetic fiber project to benefit 3,400 in Chattooga County, GA

SUMMERVILLE, Ga. – Some 3,400 homes, businesses and schools in Chattooga County will be able to get high-speed fiber internet for the first time, due to a $10.3 million public–private partnership with broadband provider Kinetic, officials said.

The project is to provide fiber internet to eligible homes and businesses in the county, including areas in Summerville, Trion, Lyerly and Menlo.

Under the partnership, the county will use about $3.1 million in state grant money from the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds program, part of the federal American Rescue Plan.

Kinetic will invest $7.2 million and cover any cost overruns.

The combined venture will enable Kinetic to lay 320 miles of optical fiber cable to bring high-speed internet to residences, businesses and schools, with work expected to be completed next year.

Kinetic's ultrafast fiber-optic broadband lets users download and upload, equally in both directions, at up to 1 gigabit a second, or 1,000 megabits a second, providing what is known as "next-generation access."

Kinetic's Chattooga 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.

Read the full press release here.

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