#jackson was among 31 cities recognized Monday by #next century cities for fast, affordable and reliable Internet service.
Jackson Mayor Jerry Gist said he hopes the recognition will attract more businesses to the area as well as improve education and health care. He said the accolade came largely because of the speed and accessibility of the city of Jackson’s #fiber optic Internet, which is part of the #eplus #broadband package.
Next Century Cities is a bipartisan, city-to-city initiative dedicated to ensuring the availability of next-generation broadband Internet for all communities.
“#gigabit broadband will have a significant economic impact in our community through the retention of existing businesses, attracting new industry and empowering our youth to have the best access to educational content from around the world, all right here in Jackson,” Gist said in a news release.
He told The Jackson Sun that people and businesses come to Jackson every day without realizing Jackson’s Internet capabilities. Gist hopes Monday’s announcement will encourage more industry to locate in Jackson.
“(We’re) letting the people who are going to help the city grow know that it’s available and will continue to help the city grow,” Gist said.
He said the city’s fiber optics effort is something Jackson Energy Authority and the city have been working on for at least five years.
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