Tombigbee Fiber and Ronny Rowland of Prentiss County Electric Co-op received Innovate Awards in recognition of their dedication to broadband connectivity to North Mississippi at the Digital Innovation Conference October 1-2 in Tupelo.

The annual conference, hosted by MEGAPOP, is Mississippi’s leading digital security, business, technology and education event. One of the event’s primary goals is to present Mississippi businesses with the advantages and opportunities presented by high speed broadband internet services.

The Innovate Awards were presented to one business and one individual through a peer nomination process.

Tombigbee Fiber received the business award in recognition for being one of the first and fastest organizations to build out fiber infrastructure in North Mississippi. Their implementation of the community program SmartTown, in a partnership with Calix, provides a secure Wi-Fi network for users as they travel — most notably first responders who utilize the service while on call.

Ronny Rowland, retired General Manager of Prentiss County Electric Co-op and former president of MEGAPOP, received the individual award for his involvement in bringing broadband connectivity to North Mississippi. Starting in the 1990s, Rowland and a group of like-minded individuals lobbied at the state and national level while seeking grants to make high speed internet a reality for North Mississippi.

The Innovate Awards were presented at the conclusion of the Digital Innovation Conference on October 2nd. CSA was proud to sponsor this year’s event.