Entergy Mississippi President & CEO Haley Fisackerly did not grow up in Indianola, but he spent a lot of time here when he was a kid.
Fisackerly’s Delta and Sunflower County roots run deep.
His mother, Doris Barrett Fisackerly - daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Noel Johnson Barrett - is from Indianola, and his father, Howard Fisackerly is a Schlater native who was raised in Ruleville and Sunflower.
“I spent many summers in Indianola,” Fisackerly said shortly after addressing a room full of Sunflower County stakeholders at the B.B. King Museum last week.
It was fitting earlier this year when Entergy, C-Spire and Mississippi Public Service Commission announced an $11 million partnership that would bring fiber infrastructure to 15 counties that one of them was Sunflower County.
The project will span 300 miles of Mississippi rural communities, 92 of which will be in the Delta region.
Fisackerly said PSC approached the Fortune 500 company about broadband infrastructure as Entergy is preparing to roll out Smart Meters, which involve a chip that will require communication between the meters and the reading device.
“Public Service Commission really brought the challenge to us,” Fisackerly said.
Entergy began talking to multiple vendors, but it was C-Spire, Fisackerly said, that shaped up to be the best partner for the project.
“After a few months, C-Spire came to the front of the line,” Fisackerly said.
Entergy was going to require expanded broadband in order to effectively roll out its Smart Meters, but the costs of running the infrastructure would far outweigh the usage.
For C-Spire, Fisackerly said the investment in many rural areas wasn’t justified absent Entergy’s demand.
“Entergy justified the investment,” he said. “It’s amazing how this challenge from Public Service turned into a win-win.”
The Implications
Nearly a quarter of Entergy’s customer base lives below the poverty line, and 44 percent of that base is distressed, Fisackerly said.
Access to broadband internet will certainly help Entergy roll out its new programs, and it will undoubtedly give C-Spire access to more customers, but this project could also serve a three-fold purpose in helping to lift up one of the poorest regions in the country.
“Broadband is the electricity of the 21st Century,” Ryan Brown, deputy commissioner at PSC said. “You have to have it.”
Brown and Fisackerly contend that broadband today is no different than when electricity was brought to rural areas decades ago.
Brown said the lack of high-speed Internet has hindered many students from being able to complete homework assignments, and it keeps homebound people from being able to further their education online.
Also, he said as telemedicine becomes the norm, the need for broadband will be greater.
“You cannot do that without this infrastructure in place,” Brown said.
Fisackerly said that mom and pop shops in small towns like Indianola are also struggling to compete with e-commerce sales. This, he said, has deterred businesses from opening in areas like the Delta, because they do not have access to affordable high-speed Internet.
“This is going to be great news for (small businesses),” Fisackerly said.
He also said that high-speed Internet could be one of the answers to the area’s workforce training problems. He said many courses can be completed online, but lack of access has hindered this from being used widespread.
Other Projects
Outside the scope of broadband expansion, Entergy is constantly involved in economic development in the state.
Fisackerly said the company is one of the first to come to the table when a project emerges.
That is why it has instituted programs to help communities with site preparation, marketing and gauging workforce availability.
Fisackerly said that a lot of companies who want to locate in Mississippi tend to want to move quickly when the deal is done. Issues with right-of-way for lines and substation on private land often come up.
Entergy now is going into communities, which have ready sites, and obtaining the access ahead of any potential deals.
Also, Fisackerly said to expect Entergy to continue to roll out its grid modernization technologies.
He said the rollout of the Smart Meters next year should allow customers to get real time insights into their usage, which could help them make adjustments and potentially lower their bill.
“You have a gas gauge in your car or your truck,” Fisackerly said. “Now you’re going to have one in your house.”
