AT&T Expands High-Speed Internet in Communities across Georgia

Staff Report From Georgia CEO

Tuesday, January 30th, 2018

AT&T has expanded internet access in communities throughout Georgia to better serve those in rural and urban areas alike.

As part of our FCC Connect America Fund commitment, AT&T has deployed high-speed internet service to rural and underserved locations in parts of 46 counties serving more than 27,000 Georgia locations. For much of this rural deployment, AT&T is using its Fixed Wireless Internet service. Launched in Georgia in May 2017, this innovative service delivers an internet connection with download speeds of at least 10 Mbps and upload speeds of at least 1 Mbps. The connection comes from a wireless tower to a fixed antenna on customers' homes or businesses. These towers are fed by part of the more than 4 million strand miles of AT&T fiber optics that cover Georgia.

"In today's digital economy, access to reliable broadband service is critical. I'm pleased with the continued investment from AT&T," said Lt. Governor Casey Cagle. "With the use of multiple technologies across Georgia, we can close the access gaps that exist in some of our rural communities, allowing us to compete for the best jobs and grow economic opportunity for all Georgians."

Parts of the following 46 counties in Georgia are now eligible for this internet service from AT&T:

Appling  

Elbert 

Johnson

Pike

Baker 

Emanuel 

Lamar

Sumter

Bleckley 

Evans 

Lanier

Thomas

Burke  

Fulton  

Laurens

Toombs

Butts 

Grady 

Lee

Twiggs

Carroll 

Greene

Lowndes

Ware

Chattahoochee 

Hancock

McDuffie

Warren

Cook  

Haralson 

Miller

Washington

Crisp 

Jasper

Mitchell

Wayne

Decatur 

Jeff Davis

Monroe

Worth

Dodge 

Jeferson

Morgan

 

Echols 

Jenkins

 Pierce

 

In addition to our work reaching out to largely rural areas, we have also expanded our 100% fiber network powered by AT&T Fiber to more than 725,000 locations in Georgia. With connections approaching 1 gigabit per second, customers purchasing our Internet 1000 service can download 25 songs in 1 second or your favorite 90-minute HD movie in less than 34 seconds.

"I am thankful for the leadership of our elected officials who work to ensure a pro-consumer business environment and am delighted to see so many Georgia residents benefiting from this innovative technology made possible by private investment," said Chris Clark, president and CEO, Georgia Chamber of Commerce. 

Communities in Georgia are part of 67 metros nationwide where our ultra-fast internet service is currently available. We plan to reach at least 82 metros with our fastest internet service.

Today, we market a 1 gigabit connection on our 100% fiber network to over 7 million locations across 67 metros. We plan to reach at least 12.5 million locations by mid-2019.

"The thousands of dedicated men and women who work for AT&T and call Georgia home, are proud to work with our state's political leadership to provide the connectivity Georgia's residents and businesses demand," said Bill Leahy, president of AT&T Georgia.