FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SEPTEMBER 21, 2022
CONTACT:
Jennifer Koukos
Chief Communications Officer
(863) 840-0300
jkoukos@gladeselectric.com
GLADES ELECTRIC PARTNERS WITH CONEXON CONNECT TO DELIVER HIGH-SPEED FIBER BROADBAND ACCESS TO FLORIDA’S HEARTLAND
MOORE HAVEN, Fla. – Glades Electric Cooperative has selected Conexon Connect as a partner to deploy high-speed internet access to all cooperative members, closing the digital divide for many in Florida’s Heartland. Conexon Connect, formed by rural fiber-optic network design and construction management leader Conexon, will serve as the internet service provider for the cooperative’s fiber network to be built by Conexon.
The Connect, powered by Glades Electric Cooperative, network will deliver world-class internet service to homes and businesses across a 2,600-mile fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) network. The goal is to expand fiber broadband access to all of the co-op’s approximately 13,373 members in Glades, Hendry, Highlands, and Okeechobee counties.
“The abrupt change in our lifestyles during Covid brought to light how far behind in broadband access Florida’s Heartland has been left,” said Jeff Brewington, Glades Electric Cooperative CEO. “We began to research how Glades Electric could be part of the solution, which led us to Conexon to help us bridge the gap in a very affordable way and continue our mission of ‘Neighbors Working for Neighbors’.”
Glades Electric’s $50 million fiber network is expected to be completed within three years. The fiber-optic network will offer members access to symmetrical (same upload and download speeds) multi-gigabit internet capabilities – among the fastest and most robust in the nation. Additionally, it will provide reliable, clear phone service and enable the future benefits of smart grid capabilities to the electrical infrastructure, including improved power outage response times, better load balancing, more efficient electricity delivery, and more.
“The opportunity to partner with a co-op such as Glades Electric takes us right back to the heart of why we do this,” said Randy Klindt, Conexon Founding Partner and Conexon Connect CEO. “We look forward to delivering world-class, multi-gigabit internet service to unserved and underserved homes and businesses in the rural heartland of Florida, providing access to the connectivity they need.”
The fiber network will be built in several phases, with each taking approximately 12 to 18 months from construction start to customer installation. Glades Electric Cooperative members can find service pricing and FAQs at gladeselectric.com/broadband-announcement/. Members can also sign up for project updates at ConexonConnect.com
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About Glades Electric Cooperative
Glades Electric Cooperative was formed in 1945 to serve residents of Florida’s rural heartland who had been left behind in the electrification of Florida. Today, Glades Electric provides power to more than 17,000 accounts over 2,600 miles of line in portions of Glades, Hendry, Highlands, and Okeechobee counties.
About Conexon Connect
Conexon Connect is the internet service provider (ISP) arm of rural fiber broadband design and construction management leader Conexon. The subsidiary was formed to operate and manage cooperative fiber-to-the-home networks. Connect leverages Conexon’s decades of co-op operations, fiber-optic design and construction, telecommunications, federal and state lobbying and customer experience management expertise to successfully launch and operate projects. The Connect approach is to work with electric cooperatives to launch and deploy high-speed fiber-optic networks – the gold standard of communications transmission – enabling them to offer world-class fiber broadband to their members. Connect today is partnering with multiple cooperatives in Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky and Missouri.
About Conexon
Conexon works with Rural Electric Cooperatives to bring fiber to the home in rural communities. The company is comprised of professionals who have worked in electric cooperatives and the telecommunications industry and offer decades of individual experience in business planning, building networks, marketing and selling telecommunications. Conexon offers its electric cooperative clients end-to-end broadband deployment and operations support, from a project’s conception all the way through to its long-term sustainability. It works with clients to analyze economic feasibility, secure financing, design the network, manage construction, provide operational support, optimize business performance, and determine optimal partnerships. To date, Conexon has assisted more than 275 electric cooperatives, 60 of which are deploying fiber networks, with more than 500,000 rural Americans connected to fiber to the home. The company has secured nearly $2 billion in federal, state and local grants and subsidies for its clients.