Details of broadband expansion project officially announced

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  • Pictured above, from left, are: ETC Chief Operating Officer Jason Smith, ETC’s John and Cathy Harrison, Sen. Steve Gooch, Rep. Rick Jasperse, ETC’s David and Marianne Bowman, Georgia EMC CEO Dennis Chastain and Amicalola CEO Todd Payne.
    Pictured above, from left, are: ETC Chief Operating Officer Jason Smith, ETC’s John and Cathy Harrison, Sen. Steve Gooch, Rep. Rick Jasperse, ETC’s David and Marianne Bowman, Georgia EMC CEO Dennis Chastain and Amicalola CEO Todd Payne.
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Details of a forthcoming project in which local service providers Amicalola Membership Corporation (AEMC) and Ellijay Telephone Company (ETC) will partner to expand high-speed internet access in portions of their shared north Georgia service areas were officially announced Wednesday, Dec. 2, at the AEMC office in Pickens County.

Details of the partnership were made public before an audience that included Georgia Sen. Steve Gooch, Georgia House Rural Development Caucus Co-Chair Rick Jasperse and other elected officials and business leaders.

Terms of the agreement call for AEMC to invest $6.5-to-$7 million to add more than 250 miles of high-speed connectivity to ETC’s network, which will provide broadband access to approximately 6,000 customers. ETC will add more than 250 miles of new fiber to its network to accommodate broadband growth as consumer demand in the region increases.