Blue Ridge Mountain EMC (BRMEMC) took a huge step five years ago when the Board of Directors, staff and employees made the commitment to promote, build and develop broadband Internet service in our Western North Carolina and North Georgia service area. This decision was not easily made as we were just learning about emerging developments in this industry and a number of technical questions remained unanswered. The Internet was evolving daily, while new technologies and methods for delivering information developed by the minute. Debates were ongoing about which technology was the best and most cost-effective to deploy: wireless, broadband-over-power-line, DSL or fiber optic. After a great deal of trial and error, and having learned a great deal about the industry in a very short period of time, BRMEMC finally arrived at fiber-optic deployment as our primary means for delivering broadband Internet and related services to our members and community. That is where this story begins …

Want to read more of this story? See the full article published in the April, 2008 editions of Carolina Country and Georgia Magazine, or Click here.