31 Dec 2021 Seeds of change
By Judy Riley
High-speed internet is traveling to rural areas in the 501. Service will be a game changer for students, home businesses and those working remotely.
“The greatest thing on earth is to have the love of God in your heart, and the next greatest thing is to have electricity in your home,” according to a farmer in rural Tennessee during the beginnings of electricity being offered in rural areas. This quote appeared in the book “The Next Greatest Thing” by Richard Pence. He documented what he considered the greatest social and economic advancement of the 20th century, the electrification of America. Prior to the 1930s and 1940s, electricity was only available in cities and towns through private electric companies. As part of President Roosevelt’s New Deal, member-owned rural electric cooperatives were born and electricity became available to all.
The philosophy of electric cooperatives has always been to provide low-cost electricity to rural areas, serving the underserved. And they are tackling providing high-speed internet to their members in just the same way. According to First Electric President/CEO Don Crabbe, “We are providing the service to rural and highest-need locations of our service area, as well as where all of our members live.” His theory is that the “next, next greatest thing” is to make high-speed internet available to all their members.
Life in rural Arkansas has many perks: communities of support, space between neighbors, land for gardens and animals, and the sweet smells and sounds of country life. Many who work in nearby towns consider the commute to work and shopping worth the hassle. But the biggest downside, magnified during the pandemic when folks had to work remotely, was lack of dependable internet. High-speed internet in rural Arkansas has been illusive, unpredictable, and expensive at best. Electric cooperatives are coming to the rescue.
First Electric serves almost 80,000 members and 100,000 member accounts in Central and Southeast Arkansas. They are one of 17 electric cooperatives serving rural Arkansans; 13 are working toward the same goal. Having an affordable and predictable high-speed internet will be a “game changer” for rural Arkansans. Central Arkansas’ First Electric Cooperative, headquartered in Jacksonville, is the largest cooperative to embark on this project. According to Crabbe, the company has made a huge commitment in time and resources, and the employees are excited to be a part of this effort to serve the members.
For First Electric, the process began in 2019 with an initial build-out of a fiber backbone infrastructure to connect five offices, one operation center, and 46 substations with broadband technology. Ultimately, their plan is to bring high-speed fiber-optic internet service to all members. And they are working at “high speed.” By the end of this quarter, the infrastructure will be complete and distribution construction has already begun. Connect2First was launched, and they now have service provided to almost 1,000 customers in the Keo, Furlow, Seaton, and Nelson communities of Lonoke County.
Connect2First will be available to every First Electric member. Once the buildout is complete, services may be offered to homes and businesses outside of First Electric’s service territory.
So, anyone may choose to live in rural Arkansas, even taking their jobs and businesses home. Look out your back door across a pasture or pond and be able to work from your kitchen table. Indeed, it’s the biggest “game changer” for rural Arkansas since electricity and telephones.
