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Until recently, the broadband landscape in Jackson County and surrounding counties mirrored many rural areas in Indiana – that is, underserved or unserved. Jackson County REMC is taking steps to remedy that.

“The progress and plan of action for broadband deployment completed by Jackson County REMC is a great case study for our members in other underserved and unserved areas in Indiana,” said Justin Schneider, Indiana Farm Bureau director of state government relations.

Mark McKinney, president and CEO of Jackson County REMC, said before broadband construction began a year and a half ago, high-speed internet access in the utility’s service area was nearly nonexistent. Two years ago, the REMC had a strategic planning meeting at which the board determined that the continued lack of broadband access would hinder its customers.

“We identified needs for broadband such as education, agriculture and general quality of life benefits that our members were missing out on,” said McKinney.

The original plan was for McKinney to find a partner to bring broadband to Jackson County REMC’s service area, which covers most of Jackson County and parts of nine surrounding counties. The companies McKinney contacted only were interested in cherry picking the high population density areas as targets for providing broadband access. McKinney said the REMC’s goal was to gain access for all members. 

After two surveys concluded that a majority of the REMC’s electric members showed interest in broadband access provided by the REMC, McKinney and his staff began making great strides on the project. The REMC completed a feasibility study, which McKinney said is a crucial first step, and created a new division called Jackson County Connect. Then they began construction and the installation of the network of fiber. The plan calls for 2,000 miles of fiber, and to date, Jackson County Connect has laid 700 miles of fiber.

“The original plan was supposed to take five years to complete,” McKinney said. “The project now is on target to be completed in less than four years.”

Jackson County Connect recently hooked up its 1,000^th customer with broadband access and has 500 more members on the waiting list. The original feasibility study suggested a 30% take rate of members adopting the broadband service when it became available. In phase one of four phases, they saw a 68% take rate. The take rate has since been adjusted to 50% for future overall projections.

The speeds offered by Jackson County Connect are a symmetrical 50 megabites per second (Mbps) upload and download option as well as a 100 Mbps option, a 500 Mbps option and a 1 gigabite option. The entry level package starts at $54.95 a month.

“The stories I hear, whether it’s at a ballgame or at the grocery story, are so positive about how it’s made a difference,” McKinney said. “The other most prominent comment is ‘When are you going to be in my area?’”