ATLANTA—Electric cooperatives that entered the broadband space and are combining their networks for middle mile access to internet hubs shared their experiences in lowering costs and boosting internet reliability for their members at NRECA PowerXchange.

Middle mile is the infrastructure that connects national and regional high-capacity internet hubs to local networks that serve homes, businesses and other end users.

“Growing demand for internet connectivity and greater bandwidth are often constrained by a lack of middle mile access in rural areas," said Katie Culleton, the NRECA legislative affairs director for broadband who moderated the March 11 breakout session.

“This lack of access impacts the quality of service to last-mile members and increases costs. It's because of this that electric co-ops are stepping up to build their own middle mile fiber networks and are willing to share their experiences in this space with others along the way."

In 2023, all 17 electric co-ops providing broadband in Mississippi formed MS Fiber to build a middle mile network. Its fourth and final phase will be completed this year.

“We wanted to control our own destiny," said Brad Robison, CEO of Batesville-based Tallahatchie Valley Electric Power Association and president of MS Fiber. “We were purchasing middle mile from competitors. Outages could be hours or days with no information of cause or estimated restoral time. With co-ops serving one another, we are able to work together because we know and trust one another.

“Also, with MS Fiber the majority of Mississippi's more than 210,000 members will be saving a considerable amount of money through reduced DIA [dedicated internet access] costs plus the ability for co-ops to utilize scale to lower their operating costs for many different services."

Alabama Fiber Network, a coalition of eight electric co-ops, including generation and transmission provider PowerSouth and investor-owned utility Alabama Power, expects to finish its 6,600-mile middle mile project in the first quarter of 2026.

“Last mile is why we got in the business. Our system was growing only where there was connectivity," said Tom Stackhouse, president and CEO of Central Alabama Electric Cooperative and AFN board chairman.

But the state's need for middle mile access soon surfaced. Through a competitive process in 2021, the co-ops were chosen to build the $346 million project.

“As we saw the need for last-mile, CAEC started out looking for someone else to build it. We couldn't find anyone, so we did it," Stackhouse said. “As we began to work with the other cooperatives in Alabama to help each other, we received a request to help build a border-to-border middle mile fiber system to serve the state.

“All last-mile providers, including the cooperatives, will save a lot of dollars through this direct connection with Alabama's open access to the middle mile."

Andrew Blanton is the broadband program manager of Sho-Me Technologies, a subsidiary of Marshfield, Missouri-based Sho-Me Power Electric Cooperative. He told the co-op audience that its 8,100 miles of fiber serves schools, courthouses and banks across the state and was largely funded by the co-op and by connecting 1,000 cell towers for telecom companies.

“The goal was to serve the co-op," he said. “Now it has become a very profitable business for us."

For internet content providers like Google, the customer and the co-op, “it's a win-win-win," said Blanton, noting the closer connection facilitates content speeds and reduces transport fees.

“If you want a popular show, it pops right up. It's easy for people to understand and get on board."

The co-ops encouraged others to consider building or joining a co-op middle mile project for their members and economic benefits and noted that they and NRECA Broadband would offer guidance and collaboration.

“Just like when there are storms, and we've got lines down, we call each other," said Robison. “We can do the same with the fiber."