Gibson Connect, a wholly owned, not-for-profit subsidiary of Gibson Electric Membership Corporation, closed 2024 with a milestone, connecting its 20,000^th subscriber to high-speed fiber internet.

Bailee Mayfield of the Crockett Mills community near Alamo was the lucky subscriber and received a gift basket valued at over $250 that included a $100 Gibson Connect bill credit, Bluetooth speaker, Amazon Fire TV Stick, Onn tablet and Gibson-branded goodies.

Mayfield said she chose Gibson Connect after hearing good reviews from others using the service in her rural area. She depends on the internet to make phone calls since cell service is poor near her home. Her previous wireless service also did not provide the speed she needed for streaming.

“I can’t really do anything at my house without Wi-Fi, and I’m a big streamer,” she said. “The service in my area just wasn’t that good.”

Mayfield called to set up installation before Christmas and was surprised to see Gibson Connect fiber installation techs at her home to locate and mark underground utilities on Christmas Eve.

“It was a really smooth process to get everything started,” she said. “Once they came and marked, they were out there really quickly and were able to get me installed really quick and get me up and going super quick too. That was really pleasant, to not have to wait months to get something done.”

Charles Phillips, Gibson Electric vice president of technical services, and Teresa Burkett, Gibson Connect manager of outside plant, presented Mayfield with the gift basket and balloons at Tennessee Tractor LLC in Brownsville, where she was working on New Year’s Eve. Tennessee Tractor is a longtime Gibson Connect subscriber.

Phillips noted that Gibson Connect officially launched after then-governor Bill Haslam signed the Tennessee Broadband Accessibility Act. The legislation allowed private, not-for-profit, member-owned and member-controlled electric cooperatives to provide high-speed internet service to their members.

“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,” said Gibson Electric and Gibson Connect President and CEO Dan Rodamaker. “Since 2017, we have been committed to bridging the digital divide for our members and communities.”

Gibson Electric formed Gibson Connect in June of 2017, and fiber buildout to members began in April 2018. Gibson Connect routinely earns high marks with subscribers. The current Net Promoter Score (NPS), which measures customer satisfaction, loyalty and enthusiasm, is +90 on a scale of -100 to +100.

“We’re really proud of those numbers and our expert staff,” Phillips said. “From our installation technicians to our technical support representatives, our team works hard to ensure our members get the service and support they need. We’re also thankful to our members who continue to tell their friends and family about the world-class service Gibson Connect provides. We could not have reached this milestone without their support.”

Gibson Electric is a local, not-for-profit, member-owned and member-controlled electric cooperative serving almost 40,000 homes and businesses in eight west Tennessee counties (Crockett, Dyer, Gibson, Haywood, Lake, Madison, Obion and Weakley) and four west Kentucky counties (Carlisle, Fulton, Graves and Hickman). Gibson Connect provides high-speed, fiber-based broadband service access to the cooperative’s eligible members. For more information about Gibson Electric and Gibson Connect, visit gibsoncoops.com.