Public Service Commissioner Brandon Presley focused on improving services and stimulating job and business growth during his town hall at the county courthouse in Kosciusko last week.
“One of my main goals is expanding high-speed internet out to the rural parts of the state. We are falling behind when we aren’t able to extend internet service to the areas that don’t already have it,” he said.
“If you can’t provide internet service to companies and small businesses, they aren’t coming here. Internet service is an integral part of day-to-day life now,” he said, characterizing the lack of service as “the biggest geographical discrimination of services that there is out there.”
“The lack of service is asking people not to better themselves,” Presley said. “We’re asking people to give up the rural lifestyle.”
He is also working to make natural gas more available.
“I want to push to expand natural gas service throughout the state. That gives people more energy options and the chance to save some money,” he said.
To those who are against subsidizing these efforts, Presley noted that the federal government has contributed to service expansion in the past.
“You wouldn’t have electricity today if it wasn’t for subsidies,” he said. “I am for the federal government paying for that because the fact is, AT&T isn’t going to because they would never make their money back.”
To promote the growth of jobs and Mississippi businesses, he is proposing a new rule within the Commission requiring power companies to notify local contractors of any available contracts worth $50,000 or more.
“It’s a shame and a disgrace that we’re not using every tool available to make sure Mississippi contractors know about these opportunities,” he said. “No one is going to come down here and fix our problems. We need to do this for ourselves.”
