Within the next three years, residents of Carroll County can see faster internet service and more access to 5G Network because of an agreement Attorney General Jim Hood recently with T-Mobile.
According to the press release, the agreement made with T-Mobile states: “Within three years of closing on the merger, the New T-Mobile will deploy a 5G network in Mississippi with at least 62 percent of the state’s general and rural populations having access to download speeds equal to or greater than 100 Mbps.
• Within six years of closing, it will cover at least 62 percent of the state’s general and rural populations having access to download speeds equal to or greater than 100 Mbps.
• Within six years of closing, it will cover at least 92 percent of Mississippi’s general population and 88% of Mississippi’s rural population.
• These commitments include 5G service in rural areas, including but not limited to Amite, Carroll, Choctaw, Covington, Franklin, Greene, Issaquena, Kemper, Lawrence, Marion, Perry, Smith, Tippah, and Walthall counties.
• The parties also made limited price commitments and, in discussions with the Attorney General’s Office, vowed to decrease prices as supply increased, particularly as DISH enters the mobile market.
The agreement also states that T-Mobile “……also promised to roll out a broadband service that will be available to hundreds of thousands of Mississippians including those in rural areas,” referring to Amite, Carroll, Choctaw, Covington, Franklin, Greene, Issaquena, Kemper, Lawrence, Marion, Perry, Smith, Tippah and Walthall counties.
The agreement also states that Mississippians “…will receive full Mississippi-specific benefits of the New T-Mobile nationwide broadband Internet access program that provides free connectivity and equipment to households with school-age children…” It’s known as the Education Broadband Access Program.
T-Mobile also has to “offer a new low-priced plan in the State of Mississippi that is available to all customers and provides unlimited talk, text and 2GB of data for $15 per month and Unlimited talk, text and 5GB of data for $25 per month.”
This agreement was reached on April 29, 2018 and goes into effect from the closing date – the day the agreement went into affect. Right now, the agreement is in its first year.
Getting service in Carroll County has been a problem that frequently plaques many for many years. Supervisor Jim Neill has been in talks with Public Service Commissioner Brandon Presley about getting better service to the area.
The news of the agreement with T-Mobile is a step in the right direction, however; for many in Carroll County
