By John Howell Sr.
The time has come for Batesville residents who expressed interest in ultra-high-speed fiber optic Internet to put their money where their mouths are.

The good news is that it’s not much money and it’s refundable.

In emails delivered Thursday night to people who had expressed interest in receiving 1 Gbps Internet service to their homes, C Spire identified five Batesville “fiberhoods” that will be competing to first receive the service.

People interested in receiving the service are urged to visit the Feed the Speed Batesville link and pre-register. Pre-registration requires a $10 deposit by credit or debit card. The deposit will be refunded if the residence does not receive the 1 Gbps Internet service.

The five fiberhoods are:
•Dogwood Hills–west of I-55, south of Hwy. 6, east of Woodland and north of Eureka Road;
•Westmoreland Heights, Perkins Lane–south of Hwy. 6 from Woodland to the Hwy 6 rail overpass;
•Patton Lane, Van Voris, Tubbs Rd.–east boundary is Panola Ave. and Eureka St., south boundary includes both sides of Hwy. 6 west to city limits, west boundary is city limit;
•Broad, College Streets, Green Acres, Bates/Park Streets–east boundary is Highway 51, west is Eureka and Panola, south is Hwy. 6, north is city limits;
•Sunrise Hills, Lakewood, Keating Grove–east of Hwy. 51, north of Hwy. 6, east of I-55. North boundary includes Keating Grove subdivision and Womack Cove.

C Spire is seeking 35 percent registration in the Patton Lane/ Van Voris/Tubbs Rd. and in the Broad/College/Green Acres/Bates/Park fiberhoods. The media provider is seeking 45 percent signup in Batesville’s other three fiberhoods.

Batesville was announced last month as one of nine cities eligible for the fiberhood competition, selected from among 33 who entered C Spire’s quest for Fiber-to-the-Home. Selection was based on several factors, including the city residents’ interest, proximity to existing C Spire fiber lines and the city’s streamlining of the construction permitting process, according to C Spire’s Web site.

“C Spire fiber will help both our retail businesses and our industrial sector, but the real winner in all this will be the homeowners in our city,” Batesville Mayor Jerry Autrey said. “They will have access to broadband Internet service that is 100 times faster than anything on the market today.  Not only will we have faster computer speed, but also uninterrupted phone and TV service.  We’re very excited about being considered for this new adventure.”
The next step is encouraging Batesville residents to follow through by pre-registration, said Batesville Alderman Eddie Nabors, who first initiated the city’s entry into the competition when it was announced in Sept.
“There’s a tremendous amount of excitement in each of these communities and a strong desire to be among the first to receive the 1 Gig Internet service to the home,” said Hu Meena, president and CEO of C Spire.  “We’re looking forward to bringing tomorrow’s technology to these Mississippi communities today because we know that this service has the power to transform communities into hubs for technology investment and economic growth.”

The Panola Partnership on Thursday received promotional supplies from C Spire, including door hangars and banners that will be distributed and posted to encourage signup.

The 1 Gbps Internet access will be available for $80 a month, $100 a month for combined Internet and home phone, $140 a month for Internet and digital TV and $160 a month for the entire package of all three services.   C Spire Wireless customers will receive an additional $10 monthly discount on all packages.

Residents within city limits not included in fiberhoods cannot pre-register at this time, C Spire’s Web site states. Those areas include Hwy. 35 South, east of I-55 and portions of Eureka Street/Road.