MEET connectSCP

South Central Power’s fiber internet will be available to select consumers next summer under the brand name connectSCP. The new logo draws its shape and colors from the South Central Power brand you’ve know for decades, but reimagines it in a modern and fresh way. If you live in an area where construction is happening, you’ll know it when you see the connectSCP logo on signs, fiber reels and more. Stay tuned for our new website, a social media presence and more as we continue this project.

After months of planning and preparation, construction is now underway on fiber optic lines that will deliver internet to some of our members who need it the most, as well as provide the cooperative with the ability to improve our electric service as well as provide fiber internet to even more consumers down the road.

Right now, communities that will receive fiber internet service from us are primarily concentrated in and around Highland and Belmont counties at this stage, and expanding into surrounding rural communities from there.

Fiber internet will follow the “path of power,” which means if you live in one of the communities where construction is beginning, you may have seen, or soon will see, work in your area. If you have power poles across or adjacent to your property, you might have already seen us, or one of our contractors, out working.

Progress tracker

1. Field work and planning (in progress)
2. Engineering and design (in progress)
3. Construction (in progress)
4. Connecting
5. Serving

Overview of what you can expect

1. Field work and planning: Inspectors, employed by Kimley Horn, are documenting all the information we need to plan our work before we begin construction. This may involve taking photos of poles and equipment, using various tools for measurements, and more, but these inspectors will not need to enter your home. Vehicles will be marked as “South Central Power contractor” and workers will carry company identification as well as a letter of authorization from South Central Power. You may see them along the road or in a utility easement. If you have power poles and lines on your property, there is also a utility easement which allows us to access our equipment for construction, maintenance and repair. Inspectors will be working all along these easements as they will need to document our poles and equipment in the field.
2. Connection: We won’t be doing any connections this year, but we expect to be connecting our first members with fiber internet in the late spring or early summer of 2024. Essentially, this will involve bringing fiber internet from our poles to your home. For those residents who are able to subscribe to connectSCP fiber internet service, more information about this phase will be available once we get closer to our install phase of the project.
3. Construction: Contractors employed by Wolf Line Construction will place fiber optic cables on our power poles, and in the event of underground electric cables, the fiber optic cables will also be buried. Wolf Line employees will also be working in public rights-of-way and our utility easements. Disruption to your property should be minimal but if crews are required to dig or do any invasive work, we’ll follow up with remediation and restoration of your yard within 4-6 weeks. Like our inspectors, construction contractors will be in vehicles marked as “South Central Power contractor,” and they will carry company ID and a letter of authorization. So far, construction has taken place in the New Market substation area near Hillsboro and the Somerton substation area near Barnesville, and we expect construction in additional substation areas to follow soon.

Here's a short video to give you an idea about the process:

Fiber backbone to support electric service

The fiber South Central Power is installing won’t just be for home or business internet access – it will also allow the cooperative to use new smart grid technology to detect and restore power outages faster, monitor voltage fluctuations for better power quality and savings on shared costs, and more.

Here are a few ways that electric utilities can use fiber technology to improve service to electric consumers:

• Remote, real-time monitoring and control of devices in the field
• Secure communication, enhanced cybersecurity
• Fault detection and integration of automated, self-healing systems
• Data analytics for system improvement planning
• Better management of integrating renewable energy into the grid

These are just a few ways that the fiber internet project will positively impact all South Central Power members, and improve our electric service offerings at the same time that we are able to provide internet to the home for those who need it the most. Stay tuned for more on our smart grid initiatives as the fiber construction continues.

Share our news

Spread the word about South Central Power’s broadband project and encourage your friends and neighbors to receive broadband updates like this one. You can share this update on Facebook or Twitter. Also, if you are part of a local Facebook group in an underserved area, you can add a post about our Fiber Internet Updates to help us spread the word and generate more interest in your area. Here’s a link to the fiber internet update page on our website.

Thanks for reading, and stay tuned to your email for future Fiber Internet Updates.