Luke Ramseth

Thanks to COVID-19 cash, faster internet is coming for parts of rural Mississippi

Fast internet is finally set to arrive in several of the most rural parts of Mississippi. The Mississippi Public Utilities Staff awarded $66 million in grants for areas that have few or no high-speed internet options. The bulk of the federal grant money went to rural electric cooperatives, which now will also serve as the primary internet providers in their regions. Rural Mississippians can thank the coronavirus pandemic for the sudden infusion of federal CARES Act funds that should — by the end of this year — create thousands more high-speed internet connections.