Hanging Dog – High-speed internet service is finally coming to more than 1,000 homes and businesses in two rural communities north of Murphy.
Blue Ridge Mountain Electric Membership Corp. held a launch ceremony March 1 for the $3.5 million U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Community Connect Grant project that is set to enable 1,064 new fiber connections for homes and businesses in Hanging Dog and Grape Creek at up to a Gigabit, symmetrical speeds. The event took place at Hanging Dog General Store, which now offers an internet cafe and Wi-Fi capability designed to assist residents who do not yet have access to high-speed service.
Blue Ridge Mountain EMC has a two-year window to complete the full fiber expansion to the community under the terms of the grant, but the company said it will “be lighting up homes and businesses as we go.”
Brothers Tim Lescalleet and Stephen Lescalleet bought the now 61-year-old Hanging Dog General Store in 2019 and are excited about the addition of the internet cafe.
“We’re just really excited about serving the community,” Tim Lescalleet said. “We already have tons of people that come in because they don’t have internet and ask us to look stuff up.
“They’ll ask us to jump online and do a burn permit for them online ... a lot of map stuff, all things we’re happy to do, but now they’ll be able to do it themselves – and Blue Ridge is providing computers as well as some printers.”
Stephen Lescalleet said the store’s high-speed Wi-Fi is already available for customers to access via their own personal devices, while BRMEMC will provide the computers and printers in the future. The store also offers specific parking spaces for those who want to stop in and take advantage of the internet.
Tim Lescalleet said the internet cafe services will be available for at least the next three years under the terms of the grant.
Blue Ridge Mountain EMC announced Feb. 9 that construction on the project would begin in March following a four-year delay. The company was awarded $3 million in December 2017 through the USDA Community Connect Grant program to expand its fiber optic network to residents in the Hanging Dog and Grape Creek areas, including several individuals on Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians tribal lands. However, the expansion was brought to a halt after an archeological study was requested due to some portions of the project being in close proximity to the Trail of Tears.
After four years and multiple requests from Blue Ridge Mountain EMC to USDA to complete the required study, the approval to proceed came in late January.
“This is an exciting time for residents in Hanging Dog and Grape Creek,” Blue Ridge Mountain EMC Director of Broadband Alex King said in a release. “These folks have waited a long time for fiber internet service to come to them.
“This is a rural and under-served area that deserves to have the same fast and reliable internet service that others nationwide enjoy. BRMEMC is proud to be the conduit for broadband service in this community.”
Blue Ridge Mountain EMC will also offer new options for telephone services through its partnership with ETC. The company is encouraging residents to sign up as soon as possible to ensure their home and/or business is not delayed in receiving service once construction is completed, and to ensure they receive their fiber connection with no up-front costs.
Signup forms are available at the Hanging Dog General Store. Residents can also sign up online at brmemc.com/hangingdog or by calling 706-379-3121.