On Friday, June 3 at 2:00 p.m. in Taylor, Mississippi, AT&T Mississippi president Mayo Flynt made an important announcement regarding advanced technology and infrastructure in Taylor and rural communities in 19 Mississippi counties.
Joining Flynt are U.S. Senator Roger Wicker and State Senator Gray Tollison along with Mayor James Hamilton of Taylor and Mayor Pat Patterson of Oxford; Mississippi Public Service Commission chairman Brandon Presley; Lafayette Board of Supervisors president Jeff Busby; Lafayette County Board of Supervisors Kevin Frye and David Rickard; Oxford City Council alderman Robyn Tannehill; Oxford Economic Development Foundation (EDF) and Oxford-Lafayette Chamber of Commerce president and CEO Jon Maynard; and finally representatives from offices of U.S. Senator Thad Cochran and U.S. Representative Trent Kelly.
This announcement took place at the new restaurant, Grit in the Plein Air neighborhood with its developer, Campbell McCool, in attendance. The reason for such a large turnout is because AT&T has deployed fiber network services to homes and small businesses in Taylor as well as parts of rural Mississippi communities such as Desoto, Harrison, Jackson, Lafayette, Marshall, Panola, Pontotoc, Stone and Tate County. Mayo Flynt also said that AT&T plans to expand to additional locations in parts of Chickasaw, George, Lee, Monroe, Montgomery, Oktibbeha, Union, Webster, Winston and Yalobusha counties.
“Mississippians are spread out, in numerous small towns in communities – like Taylor – between larger population centers,” said Flynt. “At AT&T, we remain committed to making high-speed internet service available to more and more Mississippians. And, today, we are pleased to announce the deployment of our 100 percent fiber network to more than 15,000 rural homes and businesses in Taylor and other rural Mississippi locations.”
The fiber network is a boon for Taylor especially since numerous nationally-known artists reside within the town as well as new residents such as former Dean of Students Dr. Thomas J. “Sparky” Reardon moving in the Plein Air neighborhood.
Taylor Mayor James Hamilton said, “I applaud AT&T’s continuing investment in Taylor and throughout Mississippi. AT&T’s expansion of cutting-edge, fiber-based services is important for keeping our residents and local businesses connected with reliable service and blazing fast speeds.”
The business owners and residents in Taylor will have internet via AT&T’s GigaPower Network with internet speeds up to one gigabit per second. This means they can download 25 songs in a second, a television show in three seconds or a favorite high-definition movie in less than 36 seconds, according to AT&T’s news releases at the announcement.
The announcement not only affects Taylor but several counties such as Lafayette County whose residents has asked for access to quality internet services.
Lafayette County District 1 Supervisor, Kevin Frye, has anticipated the announcement of fiber services installation and expansion. In May, Frye began the ConnectLOU campaign for fiber services to Lafayette County.
Frye said in an email: “I am pleased that AT&T has made a commitment to improving broadband access, speed and reliability by upgrading their infrastructure to fiber in the Taylor area of Lafayette County. Broadband infrastructure is vital to the future success of our community. The ConnectLOU initiative started in cooperation with my office will continue to encourage investment in other areas of Lafayette County – I look forward to additional announcements in the near future.”
The Oxonian leadership was also in attendance for AT&T’s announcement and welcomed the impact with open arms.
Oxford Mayor Pat Patterson said, “I think an upgrade of technology anywhere benefits everybody. So, we certainly support the effort.”
Oxford alderman Robyn Tannehill said in an email: “I am really thrilled that AT&T has chosen to invest in the City of Oxford and in Lafayette County in such an important way. As community leaders, we understand that establishing advanced technologies and infrastructure in rural areas as well as affordable access is almost as important for people considering locating in these areas as are finding good schools for their children and affordable housing. These services are no longer considered a luxury – they are an expectation not only to economic development and businesses locating to an area, but even to people coming to live in wonderful communities like Taylor. It is exciting to think about the possibilities and growth that this will provide for.”
U.S. Senator Roger Wicker has also stated that fiber network services are crucial to Mississippi’s growth and job creation as well as its impact for students within the state.
Sen. Wicker said, “AT&T’s investment is helping to narrow the broadband gap that currently exists between rural and urban areas. For the first time, many small businesses, students and consumers in Mississippi will now have the same access to high-speed internet as their city counterparts. This increased access will spur economic growth and job creation, enhancing the quality of life for many people in our state.”
Ultimately, AT&T plans to expand to reach more than 14 million residential and commercial locations with fiber according to its news releases during the announcement.
Callie Daniels Bryant is the senior managing editor at HottyToddy.com. She can be reached at callie.daniels@hottytoddy.com.
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