FCC Chairman Ajit Pai tours Gadsden County broadband access site

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai stopped in Quincy, Florida, as part of a campaign to promote high-speed internet and close the digital divide in rural areas. “I want to illustrate the power of the internet to transform communities and the cost of not getting internet access to some of these communities,” Chairman Pai told business, school and economic development officials gathered at the Quincy site for TDS Telecom, a national internet provider with more than 13,000 Gadsden County customers. He said the digital divide is more prevalent in rural areas. “I want every American, regardless of where they may live, to be able to take charge of their digital future.” TDS Telecom received federal money through the $2 billion Connect America Fund launched in January 2017 to help the private sector increase broadband internet in service areas. As part of the Quincy tour, Chairman Pai heard remarks on TDS's broadband access site in a remote area off Cooks Landing Road. It was one of 50 access sites managed by TDS Telecom that's part of a fiber optics network connected to rural nodes, which can serve about 100 customers each. Kenneth Paker, TDS senior vice president and chief technology officer, said the new federally funded equipment boosts internet speeds in remote areas.