Telecommunications provider C Spire is adjusting its Fiber to the Home marketing plan three years after launching a pre-registration program aimed at generating interest in its 1-gigabit residential internet service and securing new customers in Starkville and other Mississippi cities.

The company is abandoning Starkville's "fiberhoods" -- areas of the city comprised of multiple neighborhoods that were determined by population -- to focus on generating interest in smaller, individual neighborhoods, said Jared Baumann, C Spire's market development and deployment manager.

Focusing on these smaller areas could expedite the infrastructure installation process, he said, which has lagged behind in some Starkville areas.

Since C Spire announced its FTTH program in 2013, four local "fiberhoods" -- South Montgomery, Timbercove/College Station/Polos, Hiwassee/Reed Road/Hospital and Cotton District/Downtown/Historic Central Starkville -- met pre-registration thresholds needed to begin engineering and construction efforts, while six failed to reach the required interest for services.

However, C Spire did not build its residential fiber infrastructure in the Cotton District after the company was unable to secure enough contractual agreements with residents, C Spire spokesperson Dave Miller said. Therefore, service was never extended to residents of the Cotton District/Downtown/Historic Central fiberhood.

The transient nature of the Cotton District's student population, coupled with existing long-term contracts between owners of multiple-dwelling units and other internet providers, contributed to C Spire's inability to generate enough customers, he said. High-speed connections, he said, are still available to businesses in the area via its distribution network.

Others residing in former "fiberhoods" that paid the company's $10 pre-registration fee but did not see their area qualify for service will soon receive refunds, both Baumann and Miller confirmed. Neither company representative had an exact number for how many refunds would be issued.

"We felt like we held on long enough and that it would be disingenuous to hold onto that fee when we haven't been able to build. That doesn't mean that we won't build in those areas. The process we're replacing it with doesn't require a fee. We're simply looking for interest," Miller said. "If we identify an area that is interested, we're definitely not foreclosing on the opportunity to build out that neighborhood."

Those wanting the service to their neighborhood can visit C Spire's website to share their interest.

"A lot of people love the community aspect that our service provides, but community infrastructure has to be activated to make it a reality," Miller said.

While Mayor Parker Wiseman noted the potential ceiling C Spire faces for enticing new customers to warrant building out more of its fiber infrastructure, he said the company's overall investment has been a major benefit to Starkville.

"To date, they've finished building infrastructure in about 30 percent of the city. Barring a major change to the program, that could be all they build, but the opportunity remains open," he said. "They have made a multi-million investment here and have many customers in Starkville who are satisfied with their service."

Miller refused to tell The Dispatch the number of customers in Starkville who actually use its 1-gigabit service, citing market competition as the reason for withholding the information.

MaxxSouth analyzing county options

Starkville quickly became one of the few cities in the South to have two, 1-gigabit internet service providers after MaxxSouth committed to infrastructure upgrades shortly after C Spire announced its FTTH program.

Currently, MaxxSouth's 1-gigabit residential service is available to about 7,500 Starkville homes, President and Chief Executive Officer Peter Kahelin said. The company is reviewing its budget, preparing to negotiate a new franchise agreement with aldermen and will continue deploying the service throughout Starkville.

MaxxSouth is also expected to expand its infrastructure into parts of outlying Oktibbeha County. Kahelin said the company is still working to identify those areas, but they're likely to include highly-populated subdivisions and regions accessible to the infrastructure already in place.

"Our commitment has always been about the future. We're looking at our budget right now so we can make sure we have a steady buildout in both Starkville and Oxford," he said. "We want this state-of-the-art infrastructure in place sooner than later. We understand that there are some residents right now that just don't need this kind of speed, but the early adopters are very pleased with the service. I honestly think that in the next 18-24 months, you'll see these speeds become the expectation of more and more customers."

As with C Spire, Wiseman also applauded MaxxSouth's commitment to its Starkville residents.

"From where we started in 2013 to now, if you had told me we'd get 30 percent of the city built out by one provider and have another provider committed to a comprehensive buildout, that would have exceeded my wildest expectations," he said. "There aren't many cities in the U.S., let alone the South, that have two private-sector carriers that are providing fiber to the home, and that includes the largest metropolitan areas in the country."