NEW HOPE, ALABAMA — New Hope Telephone Cooperative has been named a certified “Gig-Capable Provider” by NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association, which represents nearly 900 independent telecommunications companies, awarded the certification. Of those 900 providers, only about 12 percent nationwide have received this Gig-Capable certification. To achieve certification, telecommunications companies must show that gigabit technology is currently available to 95 percent of their service territory and that the service can be provided without additional network construction.
“We are honored to receive this distinction and to join an elite group of broadband providers serving rural America,” says Jim Cook, general manager of New Hope Telephone Cooperative. “This national designation represents not only the hard work completed by our employees, but also this cooperative’s commitment to our community.”
The project to construct the fiber-to-the-home network to New Hope’s 4,900 customers in Madison and Marshall counties began in 2009. Since that time, the cooperative has invested $30 million in the community. The network gives the cooperative the ability to offer internet speeds of up to 1 Gbps, or 1,000 Mbps, nearly 100 times faster than the average internet speeds nationally.
“It’s quite an accomplishment to offer these incredible speeds for our members,” Cook says. “We are especially proud of the fact that our network covers 100 percent of our service territory. Today, over 95 percent of our customers have already been connected to the new network, and the remaining 5 percent will be connected over the next few months.”
