CLINTON BECOMES FIFTH MISSISSIPPI CITY TO QUALIFY FOR C SPIRE’S HISTORIC 1 GBPS FIBER TO THE HOME INTERNET TECHNOLOGY INITIATIVE

Hinds County town turns three areas “green” as part of nation’s first and only statewide rollout of 100 times faster Internet access

Clinton, long considered a small town Southern gem, may soon become famous for having faster Internet speeds than some of the largest cities in the world.

The Hinds County town in central Mississippi qualified its first three areas last week for C Spire’s historic 1 Gbps (Gigabit per second) Fiber to the Home initiative, offering 100 times faster Internet access and related services.

Municipal leaders and C Spire officials said Clinton’s Southern Oaks, Hunter’s Ridge-Indian Trails and Bruenberg North fiber hoods reached their 45 percent target for homeowner pre-registration on Friday, paving the way for the engineering and construction phases of the historic fiber optic technology initiative to begin later this year.

Clinton joins the cities of Corinth, Quitman, Ridgeland and Starkville, who qualified for the ground-breaking technology last year. C Spire turned up service for its first commercial Gigabit customers in Quitman, Ridgeland and Starkville last November.

“As a growing, progressive city, our residents believe that together we can do anything. We proved that with an incredible community mobilization effort,” said Mayor Phil Fisher, noting that Clinton will join an elite group of U.S. cities – less than 1 percent – who have 100 times faster Internet and related Super HD TV and home phone services.

While efforts have been underway in the 25,305 population town to sign up residents since last December, the campaign intensified and gained important momentum in recent weeks led by local chamber officials, business and education leaders, the local newspaper and community volunteers.

“We’re pleased that the city of Clinton has reach its initial goal and that the excitement and anticipation of 100 times faster Internet is so strong there and in other Mississippi cities,” said Suzy Hays, senior vice president of Consumer Markets for C Spire. “Fiber to the Home is a next-generation technology that will help Clinton and other Mississippi cities become hubs for future investment and growth.”

Fisher, who credited a cadre of community volunteers with helping Clinton become the first Mississippi city to qualify three areas for Gigabit service, said the city’s success will help the continuing push to get the game-changing technology in its remaining 17 fiber hoods.

“We’ve still got a lot of work to do in qualifying other areas, but I’m excited that we have the opportunity to bring this advanced technology to the residents of our city,” Fisher said, noting that the city already has a reputation as the state’s leader in adoption of education technology in schools.

Homeowner pre-registration began last December for cities selected by C Spire as finalists for the nation’s first and only statewide roll out of next-generation 100 times faster Internet access, super HD digital television and home phone services.

“Fiber to the Home can be a transformative technology for communities, serving as a platform for innovation and a host of new Internet applications and experiences yet to be imagined,” Hays said. “We’re excited to partner with Clinton and other Mississippi cities to be a catalyst for technology investment, economic growth and job creation.”

Hays said C Spire is on a mission to move Clinton and other Mississippi cities from worst to first in national rankings for average Internet speeds and consumer access to ultra-fast broadband services, noting that the strong support and engagement of cities is the primary reason for the fast-moving initiative’s success.

Since announcing the first cities last November, C Spire has moved from vision to reality in 12 months. In contrast, Google, one of the world’s largest technology companies, took nearly three years before it began offering Gigabit fiber services in Kansas City, Kansas. “Our initiative is great example of what can be accomplished when cities, communities and leaders work together to move Mississippi forward,” Hays added.

For C Spire customers, the 1 Gbps Internet access is available for $70 a month, $90 a month for combined Internet and home phone, $130 for Internet and super HD TV and $150 a month for the three-service package. Non-customers must pay an additional $10 a month on all packages.

For a limited time, Clinton residents in the three qualified fiber hoods can sign up for the service and make the first round of construction. To order service, go online at www.cspire.com/clinton or call 1.865.438.1009 (GET100X) between 8 a.m. - 6 p.m. Monday - Friday and 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. on Saturday.

Online pre-registration remains open in Clinton for the remaining 17 fiber hoods at the same website address. Residents are required to make a $10 refundable deposit and indicate their interest for specific services. To learn more about C Spire’s Fiber to the Home initiative, visitwww.cspire.com/fiberhome.