New Year’s Eve was extra special for Bailee Mayfield of Crockett Mills, Tennessee, as she became Gibson Connect’s 20,000th broadband subscriber and kicked off 2025 with her favorite shows.
The internet arm of Gibson Electric marked the milestone connection Dec. 31 with a surprise celebration at Tennessee Tractor LLC, a longtime broadband subscriber in Brownsville, where Mayfield was working New Year’s Eve. She received balloons and a gift basket with a Bluetooth speaker, an Amazon Fire TV Stick, an Onn tablet, a $100 bill credit at Gibson Connect and lots of co-op swag.
“I can’t really do anything at my house without Wi-Fi, and I’m a big streamer,” Mayfield said. “I know a lot of people who have Gibson Connect in rural areas around me. They said they love it, so I called.”
Gibson Connect technicians arrived on Christmas Eve to prep her home for service.
“That was really pleasant versus normally having to wait months for anything where I live,” she said. Instead, the co-op was “able to get me installed really quick and get me up and going super quick, too.”
Trenton-based Gibson Electric formed its broadband subsidiary soon after a 2017 law allowed electric co-ops in the state to provide retail high-speed internet. Gibson Connect began building its fiber network in April 2018 and now has 3,595 miles of fiber.
“From our installation technicians to our technical support representatives, our team works hard to ensure our members get the service and support they need,” said Charles Phillips, Gibson Electric vice president of technical services.
“We’re also thankful to our members, who continue to tell their friends and family about the world-class service Gibson Connect provides. We would not have reached this milestone without their support.”
Prior to electric co-ops entering the broadband space, the state said about one-third of its residents were unserved or underserved when it came to internet access. Gibson Electric and Gibson Connect President and CEO Dan Rodamaker said the co-ops were ready to fill the void.
“Limited broadband access was hurting our rural communities, and our electric cooperatives across the state were poised to provide this vital service to our members at an affordable price with speeds and reliability matching if not surpassing internet service in larger, urban settings,” he said. “Since 2017, we have been committed to bridging the digital divide for our members and communities.”
Cathy Cash is a staff writer for NRECA.