CARTHAGE, Miss.–Fiber internet, it would seem, is really starting to catch on in Mississippi. MetroCast cable, which serves eight communities in the state, announced the beginning of their fiber service in Carthage Monday.
The service is set to give you internet at about 100 times the speed of regular cable or DSL.
Last year Mississippi-based C-Spire began an effort to hook nine cities up with the service.
“Fiber to the Home” (FTTH) is a pure, 100% fiber-optic connection that is made directly to the home, said a news release from MetroCast. The FTTH technology converts data to laser light waves, which are then transmitted over thin strands of glass. FTTH provides capacity for the delivery of advanced products and services, since vast amounts of data can be carried over great distances with high levels of speed and reliability.
MetroCast FTTH is now available to MetroCast’s entire footprint in Carthage. MetroCast, which has operations in nine states, already has deployed FTTH in its Maryland and Virginia service areas and expects additional FTTH deployments in Starkville and Oxford later this year.
“Unlike other Mississippi FTTH projects announced for deployment later this year, MetroCast has wired its entire footprint in the City of Carthage,” said Lisa Shoemaker, Executive Director of the Mississippi Telecommunications Association. “This is a major accomplishment for customers here in Carthage.”
If you are a MetroCast customer in Carthage, this is what you can expect: 150 new video channels, extremely fast internet and digital phone service. MetroCast said Monday these other features will also be available:
A new, improved video channel lineup with more than 275 channels available, including more than 50 new High Definition (HD) channels
New Video On Demand options, which allow customers to instantly view hit movies with a click of a button, many available the same day as DVD and weeks before Netflix or Redbox
“TV Everywhere” and Multi-Room DVR options, so customers can control what, when and where they watch
Just as with the C-Spire and Google options, though, you can expect the service to be a bit pricey.
These are statements from city, county and state officials and politicians who were at Monday’s press conference:
“MetroCast customers in Carthage now have access to the most powerful, advanced communication technology available,” said MetroCast Regional Manager Rick Ferrall. “With Fiber to the Home, customers in Carthage will enjoy the next generation of video, Internet and phone technology today in their own home.”
Thomas McElroy, Appointments Director and State Broadband Coordinator for Governor Phil Bryant, said, “This commitment by MetroCast to invest in an all-fiber network and to extend its fiber plant to all serviceable households in the City is notable, commendable, and a step forward for us.”
“This new technology is important to this region because it provides a critical gateway to resources that will contribute to the education of our young people, that will stimulate business development and growth, and that will connect citizens to vital information,” said State Senator Giles K. Ward (R-District 18). “And as our people and institutions increasingly turn to communications technology for every facet of life, the speed and reliability that FTTH provides is essential,” he added.
State Representative Bennett Malone (D-District 45) said, “This innovation by MetroCast will enrich civic life by connecting citizens to each other and to the world beyond, thereby bridging the digital divide and opening up access to vast amounts of information and content across multiple platforms.”
Melanie Hartley, Executive Director of The Leake County Development Association, said the FTTH initiative would benefit the county’s revitalization efforts. “Studies have shown that FTTH can drive economic growth by making communities more attractive to live in and to do business in. It’s a win for individual consumers and the wider community.”
The Honorable Jimmy Wallace, Mayor of Carthage, said, “With this announcement, I think we can say that Carthage is not only the Center of it All in Mississippi, but at the center of technological innovation in the state of Mississippi. We are not the largest city in the state, but we will be among the very first to benefit from Fiber to the Home technology. This is good for our residents and another step forward for our entire community.”
