Broadband expansion impacting communities for the better

Pearl River County, Miss. (WXXV)- Broadband expansion is moving forward in parts of rural Mississippi, in Pearl River County the impact could be big.

Faster internet could mean safer communities, stronger schools and better access for small businesses.

In Pearl River County, crews are laying the groundwork – literally – to bring high-speed internet to more homes, schools, and businesses.

But for now – many people in the area are still feeling the gap.

“Even at PRCC, I had a friend beg me to take her to McDonald’s just so we could have internet to complete and submit her assignments,” said Megan Morgan, a Carriere resident.

Pearl River Community College student Kylea Rogillio says it’s not just schoolwork that suffers.

A slow connection can mean missing critical updates – like weather alerts.

“Yeah, I didn’t know about it until someone brought it up to me – just because I never check the news – because it never loads for me, so I just don’t bother anymore,” said Rogillio, a student at Pearl River Community College.

The broadband expansion is funded by two federal grant programs – the Capital Projects Fund and the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment program.

But building internet in rural areas has proven harder than expected.

Kyle Brown is the deputy director for the state broadband office.

He says they planned to use existing power poles, but had to switch to buried lines… which adds extra steps.

“Check for historical artifacts and things like that, provide a report to archives in history who then had to submit a report to the federal government before the project could begin construction,” says Brown.

Construction delays pushed back the timeline by months.

And in the meantime, residents like Megan Morgan say it’s affecting students every day.

“Like the kids, they test on the computers nowadays and if the Wi-Fi is out, they can’t do their testing,” says Morgan. “If the Wi-Fi is out, the teachers can’t use the programs that they use.”

As crews make progress, residents hope better access to broadband will bring more than just faster streaming — but a stronger, safer and more connected community.