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JACKSON, Miss. -- Your chances of getting high-speed Internet in rural areas of Mississippi could be in jeopardy.
That’s because Mississippi Northern District Public Service Commissioner Brandon Presley says the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is using maps that show Mississippi has universal broadband coverage. “So according to them, anybody in Mississippi should be able to get high-speed Internet. We know that’s definitely not the case.”
Presley said the FCC’s map is about 80% wrong. “If we let this mistake on the federal level stand, It’s going to cost our state millions of dollars,” he said. “That’s specific funding that would go out to serve these rural communities that other companies are not serving because it’s not profitable.”
And if those areas cannot get high-speed Internet, Presley warns, “it’s going to hurt rural communities, rural heath care, rural education and rural small businesses.”
The PSC is filing comments today with the FCC to try to get those maps changed.
