Fifteen years ago, Netflix was primarily a DVD-by-mail service, and high-speed internet at home was a luxury. When EPB connected its first fiber optic internet customer the same year at 15 megabits per second (Mbps), today’s technologies weren’t much more than science fiction.
Today, home internet service is a necessity, and the average home has more than 20 smart devices from tablets and phones to doorbells and refrigerators. EPB has continuously operated the world’s fastest community-wide internet and now offers speeds up to 25,000 gigabits per second (Gbps).
For Chattanooga and Hamilton County, the best was still to come from the community-wide network. EPB developed exhaustive business plans to anticipate the benefits of introducing a smart grid and fiber optic service. Still, no one predicted its dynamic impact on homes, businesses and schools, with a $2.7 billion community benefit in the first 10 years of operations.
- Strong community response: EPB Fiber Optics is the leading local internet service provider with a 70% market share, more than double the anticipated 35% projected.
- More reliable electricity: The smart grid has far exceeded the expected reduction in power outages with an average annual reduction of up to 55% each year and up to $55 million in customer savings by avoiding spoilage, lost productivity and other negative impacts.
- Additional funding to strengthen Chattanooga’s infrastructure while keeping costs lower for customers: Revenue generated by EPB Fiber Optics is reinvested in Chattanooga’s electric grid to keep rates lower over time and increase the reliability of services.
- Bridging the Digital Divide: HCS EdConnect powered by EPB launched in 2020 to provide internet at no charge to qualifying Hamilton County Schools students and their families thanks to funding by community partners. Today, the program serves more than 16,000 students who with their families represent nearly 28,000 Hamilton County residents.
- Exceptional customer service: EPB transitioned to 24/7/365 customer relations as part of its launch of fiber optic services and has continued incorporating feedback to give customers the best possible experience. Thanks to those efforts, EPB has been recognized for the last eight years as J.D. Power’s Best in Customer Satisfaction for Residential Electric Service in the South among Midsize Utilities.
- Community investment: EPB has more than doubled its annual payment-in-lieu-of-taxes (PILOT) from approximately $8.5 million before offering fiber optic services to almost $18 million in fiscal year 2024, becoming the largest payor to local governments for schools and other public services.
- Keeping and creating jobs: EPB’s fiber optic network directly supported the creation and retention of nearly 10,000 jobs, about 40% of all jobs created in Hamilton County during the study period.
EPB CEO David Wade was on the team that led the planning and implementation for the fiber optic network: “The EPB board’s future-facing decision to approve offering fiber optic services dynamically changed our community and is one of the most important measures we’ve taken to fulfill our mission to enhance quality of life here.”
For all the changes over the last 15 years, the best things have stayed the same. EPB is still our community’s only 100% fiber optic internet service that offers symmetrical upload and download speeds. Whether customers want gig-speed internet to work reliably from home or researchers need to run technology on EPB Quantum NetworkSM powered by Qubitekk, EPB continues to push the limits of what’s possible through fiber to keep Chattanooga on the cutting edge.
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