By Terry Witt Spotlight Senior Reporter

                Central Florida Electric Cooperative has announced plans to move forward with a network project that will provide fiber-based high-speed internet for 100 percent of its members in the tri-county area.

            The CFEC Broadband project will use fiber optic cables strung alongside CFEC power lines to provide high-speed internet service to its rural members in Levy, Gilchrist, and Dixie Counties as well as others living in CFEC territories wherever possible.

            Broadband customers will be billed separately from CFEC utility members. The co-op says utility bills for its members won’t increase as a result of the broadband project. In fact, proceeds from the broadband may one day be able to reduce the need for utility rate increases in the future, according to CFEC’s Facebook page.

            “Unlike cable, DSL, satellite, and cellular internet connections, this fiber-optic technology can deliver lighting fast download and upload speeds, with no long-term contract or data caps, just competitive prices, and exceptional broadband services,” CFEC’s Facebook page said.

            The fiber-based system will also upgrade the operation of its electrical equipment.

            Cooperative officials will work with a rural fiber-optic network design and construction management company, Conexon, to build and operate a fiber-to-home network that will deliver gigabit-speed broadband internet service to homes and businesses.

            The new system will enable smart grid technology to improve its electric infrastructure. The network will also improve the electric system’s ability to “self-heal” when some outages occur.

            CFEC’s Board of Directors voted to start working on the new system in June. The cooperative will announce further details about the project in the coming weeks.

            Members can find more information on the broadband project and its progress on the Central Florida Electric Cooperative Facebook page as well as through CFEC’s monthly newsletter, the Co-op Connection.

            “Our board of trustees and leadership team here at CFEC have been working on this subject for some time. We have taken the time to analyze the metrics, the process, and the need. We feel like CFEC is uniquely suited to deliver this service given our knowledge of and equipment in Dixie, Gilchrist, and Levy Counties,” said Denny George, general manager of the co-op.

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Enterprise Reporting by Terry Witt July 3, 2022; Posted July 3, 2022