EREC’s Fiber Network Completed In Escambia County; First Santa Rosa County Customer Connected

January 25, 2024

After completing a fiber buildout in Escambia County, Escambia River Electric Cooperative (EREC) and ConexonConnect, have connected their first customer in Santa Rosa County to gigabit-speed fiber internet.

EREC and ConexonConnect announced their fiber-to-the-home project in February 2023, with plans to launch and deploy a 1,500-mile fiber network providing high-speed internet access to homes and businesses starting in Escambia County before moving to Santa Rosa County.

The first Escambia County member* went live on the fiber network in Bratt on August 13, 2023.

All EREC members in Escambia County now have the availability to access gigabit-speed internet, and member connections are currently being scheduled and completed.

There were several periods of unanticipated downtime during the first few months of service in Escambia County, but now “Multiple sources in Escambia County are in place to help prevent any downtime issues and the same will be done in Santa Rosa County,” EREC said this week.

“I’m very proud of all the hard work and long days everyone involved put into the completion of the Escambia County fiber-to-the-home project. A special thank you to our members for your patience as we constructed our fiber system and we look forward to continuing to serve the needs of our community,” EREC CEO Ryan Campbell said.

“I could not be happier knowing nearly 5,000 households in north Escambia county now have access to affordable high speed internet. A few short years ago it was only a dream, but it’s now a reality,” District 5 Commissioner Steven Barry said. “As with most successful public service projects, it still would not be possible without tremendous partners like EREC and Conexon. Also, I want to specifically recognize Ryan Campbell, EREC CEO, for his diligence and persistence getting the project across the finish line.”

Chumuckla resident Lynne McDonald was connected to fiber broadband in Santa Rosa County this week, as rural EREC members now have access to 2 Gbps service internet that is among the fastest and most robust in the nation.

“Bringing fiber internet to Santa Rosa County is going to be a game changer for EREC members and our community. From a teacher’s perspective, it means enhancing connectivity and access to a wealth of educational resources for ourselves and our students. Utilizing online tools more efficiently, conducting virtual classes, and engaging students in innovative ways that will increase learning outcomes and involvement,” McDonald said. ““As an EREC member for over 35 years, the arrival of fiber internet signifies a huge step towards progress and opens up a world of endless possibilities for local businesses to compete on a more global scale. I truly feel that fiber internet is going to lay the foundation for economic growth and prosperity in my community by empowering EREC members, schools and businesses. Paving the way for a brighter future for everyone.”

“EREC members were being left behind in the digital age,” Campbell added. “Now, thanks to the vision of our Trustees and the hard work of our employees who have taken on the mission of closing the digital divide, EREC members are gaining access to world-class internet service. This opens the doors for new opportunities such as online education for all ages, expanded employment options, and streaming and smart device use in the home that many in other areas take for granted.”

The Town of Jay is very proud of the work EREC has done with the State’s Rural Broadband Initiative,” says Eric Seib, Manager of the Town of Jay.” We are thankful to have a forward thinking team at EREC making tomorrow better for all of us.”

*Full disclosure: The first Escambia County EREC member to receive EREC fiber at their home was NorthEscambia.com Publisher William Reynolds. Editor’s note: NorthEscambia.com operates in the cloud; it does not operate on the Conexon service. For over 15 years, it has been hosted by a major provider elsewhere in the U.S.

Pictured top: Chumuckla resident Lynne McDonald was connected to fiber broadband in Santa Rosa County his week, photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge. Pictured inset and below: Escambia County’s first customer was connected in August, 2023. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.

Comments

9 Responses to “EREC’s Fiber Network Completed In Escambia County; First Santa Rosa County Customer Connected”

  1. Kathy on January 27th, 2024 1:56 pm

    @Chuck … of course we’re left out! Only the solar farm gets new power, water, data lines here in Pilgrim Hills. Starlink might be our only option for the future.

  2. mnon on January 27th, 2024 11:49 am

    While most in border rural areas are still dealing with overpriced, oversold Frontier, you can’t even get service now because it is so oversold. I tried transferring a line to a new office and they told me they couldn’t do that. So you can’t swap an existing line to a new location? On top of that, the service is now dropping every week for 8-12 hours Thursday and Friday. Not to mention all the new homes and development from Yankees moving into the area and people fleeing Democrat-run cities moving to Florida. It’s cool EREC got fiber but a large chunk of the Molino area is just out of luck, existing on coax from the 1980s in a fiber world, trying to do our jobs from home is a task. Frontier said no new lines or service transfers until fiber is put in. I said is that going to take another 5 years? Frontier has been saying fiber for half a decade now. They responded, of course, no ETA.

  3. tg on January 26th, 2024 12:32 pm

    Giving tax payers something for their money.

  4. Whirlwind on January 26th, 2024 9:59 am

    It works great! Productivity and enjoyment have increased at our house. Thanks EREC.

  5. Justsaying on January 26th, 2024 8:25 am

    @Chuck
    This service is for the members of the EREC electric cooperative , you are most likely on FP&L.

    And Dave,
    Thank you for your service!

  6. dave lamb on January 26th, 2024 12:51 am

    I have lived in rural Nebraska since1973. Kinetics just ran fiber optics under ground. Cost me 3 free months and 39.95 per month afterwards. As an Air Force retired disabled senior citizen I applied for 30 collar senior discount and was granted the govt program. Hope you get it soon. It really is fast

  7. Chuck on January 25th, 2024 3:12 pm

    What about the northCantonment/Molino area, especially along Hwy 196 (Barrineau Park road) east and west? Are we left out? Spectrum isn’t that great and very expensive. Two years ago I spoke with 2 gentleman who were doing logistics for the fiber network and they assured me that by now we’d have it by now? I guess things changed?

  8. Well on January 25th, 2024 2:37 pm

    Thanks Escambia County BCC for all the tax dollars pumped into this.

  9. SW on January 25th, 2024 8:02 am

    Thanks EREC.

Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News