Tri-County becomes the first electric co-op in Florida to tackle fiber to the home

Florida-based Tri-County Electric Cooperative teamed with Conexon Connect to deploy a 2,400-mile fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) network, aiming to deliver high-speed broadband to all of its members within the next few years. The $65 million project is the first FTTH initiative undertaken by an electric co-op in the state. Conexon Partner Jonathan Chambers said the company will be responsible for the design, construction and operation of the network, though Tri-County will own the actual infrastructure. It plans to use fiber and will offer 100 Mbps, 1-gigabit and 2-gigabit service plans. The company’s typical build pace is around 1,000 miles per year for a project like this, which means the Tri-County deployment will take around two to three years to complete, Chambers said. Once finished, the network will serve as many as 15,000 locations across the co-op’s territory in Jefferson, Madison, Taylor and Dixie (FL) counties. Chambers noted some of the areas it plans to build are subsidized with funding it won in the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) Phase I auction, but said it’s committed to reaching all of the co-op’s members regardless of whether money is available for every location.