Wednesday, January 6, 2021 - Pike County Journal Reporter - Page 3A
FCC allocates $326 million to dose rural digital divide
The Federal Commu
nications Commission
announced recently an
estimated 373,000 rural
Americans living and
working in Georgia will
gain access to high-speed
broadband through the
Commission’s Rural
Digital Opportunity Fund
Phase I auction - includ
ing residents in Pike
County.
In Georgia, the auction
allocated $326,454,112.20
in support to expand
broadband to 179,455
unserved homes and
businesses over the next
10 years. The winning
bidder to provide broad
band access to 3,454
locations in Pike is the
Rural Electric Coopera
tive Consortium who will
receive $1,212,709 over
the next 10 years.
Nearly all locations in
Georgia that were eligible
for the auction will be re
ceiving access to broad
band with speeds of at
least 100/20 Mbps, with
an overwhelming major
ity (85%) getting gigabit-
speed broadband. The
auction unleashed robust
competition that resulted
in more locations being
awarded at less cost to
Americans who pay into
the FCC’s Universal Ser
vice Fund.
“This historic auction
is great news for the resi
dents of so many rural
Georgia communities,
who will get access to
high-quality broadband
service in areas that for
too long have been on
the wrong side of the
digital divide,” said FCC
Chairman Ajit Pai. “We
structured this innova
tive and groundbreak
ing auction to prioritize
bids for high-speed,
low-latency services to
deliver the best results
for rural Americans, and
the results show that this
strategy worked. This
auction was the Commis
sion’s single largest step
ever taken toward deliv
ering digital opportunity
to every American and is
another key success in
our ongoing commitment
to universal service.”
The Rural Digital Op
portunity Fund Phase
I auction is part of a
broader effort by the
FCC to close the digital
divide in rural Ameri
ca. In October 2020, the
Commission adopted
rules creating the 5G
Fund for Rural America,
which will distribute up
to $9 billion over the
next decade to bring
5G wireless broadband
connectivity to rural
America.
More information on
the Rural Digital Op
portunity Fund Phase I
Auction is available at
fee.gov/auction/904.
Recreation baseball, softball registration ongoing
Registration for the
2021 spring baseball
and softball seasons are
underway with Jan. 22
being the last deadline
for registration.
The baseball divi
sions offered are 4U,
6U, 8U, 10U, 12U and
14U and the softball
divisions offered are 6U,
8U, 10U, 12U and 16U.
The registration fee is
$141.97 (4U baseball
is $85.10) with credit
card or $137 ($82 for
4U baseball if paying
by check). The sibling
discount is $10 and the
out of county fee is $25
per participant.
“To remain as con
tactless as possible,
please mail your check
payable to PCPRA to
P.O. Box 697 Zebulon,
GA 30295,” said Pike
County Parks and Recre
ation Authority director
Kevin Teate. “At this
time, we ask that if you
need assistance please
do not come to the
recreation office, but call
us at 770-567-2027 and
we will be glad to help
you over the phone. You
may also email me at
PHOTO BY RACHEL McDANIEL / PIKE COUNTY JOURNAL REPORTER
Registration for the 2021 spring baseball and softball seasons are underway and Jan. 22 is
the last day of registration.
kteate@pikecoga.com or
Larry Moss at lmoss@
pikecoga.com for assis
tance.”
Practices are sched
uled to begin the week
of Feb. 8. The season is
scheduled to begin Sat
urday, March 13. Evalu
ations, the Opening Day
Parade and the Opening
Ceremonies are to be
determined.
No players will be
sized at the office, par
ents will instead need to
follow a sizing chart to
select jersey and pants
sizes.
“At the present time
we are planning to play
the 2021 spring season
under the same guide
lines used for this past
fall season,” said Teate.
“It is definitely a chal
lenge to offer youth
sports in the environ
ment that we currently
live.”
Concord council discusses alcohol sales
BY DWAIN W. PENN
news@pikecountygeorgia.com
Minister Rufus Clem
mons, an invited guest
at the December 8 Con
cord council meeting,
shared a brief summa
tion of ongoing efforts to
reduce alcohol and drug
abuse in Pike County.
The information was
timely with a pending
agenda item for the
second reading and
approval of the hours of
Sunday Sales of Alcohol
by the Drink ordinance.
Clemmons, a member
of Mount Hope Baptist
Church also serves on
the council for alcohol
and drug abuse pre
vention, an affiliate of
the Family Connection
ministry, supervised by
Michael Powell.
“We have developed
two phases, intervention
and prevention, to slow
the abuse of alcohol and
drugs,” said Clemmons.
“Alcohol abuse starts at
age 13 and an effort is
made to stop the trend
by creating factors to
change the youth per
ception of alcohol. The
new pizza restaurant to
open in Concord must
be held accountable
to not serve alcohol to
underage customers.”
“1 feel guilty,” re
sponded mayor John
Strickland to the assess
ment. “But 1 am gratified
to know work is done to
keep it from getting out
of hand.”
Later before council
unanimously approved
the hours of Sunday
sales ordinance, Strick
land again invoked his
feeling of shame over
the situation to put
temptation before young
customers. Council ab
solved the mayor of any
embarrassment since lo
cal voters approved the
referendum for the sale
of alcohol by the drink.
COUNCIL ALSO:
• Heard Strickland
express disappointment
in water fees income
which was lower than
anticipated.
• Received the
monthly report from
water supervisor Doug
Neath that six leaks
were repaired recently.
The water tower level
control system is going
forward awaiting com
puters. Four new valves
in the system were
inspected and approved,
reducing areas which
are inconvenienced by
shut offs for leak repairs.
The north wastewater
pond job did not turn
out as expected.
• Heard the city
expects to receive the
broadband fiber optics
by December 15 and be
gin test installations of
service in pre-selected
houses to check recep
tion.
• Heard a glowing
report on the Lighting
of Concord event. The
signupgenius website
was an asset. Ninety
reservation slots to see
Santa were filled but
through cancellations
and fill-ins remained
robust all afternoon. An
estimated 150 to 200
adults and children were
elated and grateful for
the joyous Christmas
spirit, truly a miracle in
this year of COV1D-19.
PHOTO BY RACHEL McDANIEL / PIKE COUNTY JOURNAL REPORTER
The Molena Police Department recently located a missing
senior citizen and sought a stolen vehicle in the area.
Molena discusses
recent police activity
BY BWAIN W. PENN
news@pikecountygeorgia.com
Molena police chief
Novin Darsey broke
from the routine at the
December 14 council
meeting and was able to
go beyond distributing
reports of department
activity and share two
incidents, one involving a
local resident. The other
was an important BOLO
for a stolen vehicle.
“The resident, a care
giver, walked off the job,”
stated Darsey. “A search
began after reports were
received he was seen
walking east on Highway
109. His daughter lives in
north Upson, prompting
a call to the county sher
iff advising of a possible
route he may take to get
there. There was nothing
else to do but wait.”
According to Darsey,
a call came in from the
Pike dispatcher that the
missing man had been
found. He was sitting in
the carport of the unoc
cupied Pilkenton house
on Highway 109 outside
of Molena.
The second inci
dent began the second
Wednesday of Decem
ber with a call from the
county advising Molena
to be on the lookout for
a stolen blue Infinity, last
seen in Meansville head
ing west on 109. Darsey
parked on Spring Road
with a couple of stop
sticks if needed and soon
the motorist was appre
hended at Highway 18.
The inoperable
Dodge Charger police
cruiser the city received
three years ago from
McDonough has been
“surplused” but not sold.
Chief Jonathan Hemphill
of Zebulon has expressed
interest in the vehicle to
get parts off of it. Council
approved to give the car
to the city of Zebulon.
COUNCIL ALSO:
• Learned the long
time agenda item of
razing the old city shed
on 18 has been accom
plished. There are no
plans yet on how to use
the concrete slab.
• Held first readings
of three amended city
ordinances: repealing
the $30 court cost fee;
ordinance 12, section 1,
raising base water rates
to $16 and making future
adjustments based on
cost of construction; and
ordinance 37, section 2,
increasing water depos
its.
• Approved zoning
requests for: food bank
on Depot Street and loft
apartment at 36 Spring
Road.
• Agreed to have city
personnel policy amend
ed to include COV1D-19
guidelines and protocols
perhaps using recom
mendations provided by
GMA and OSHA.
• Approved to hold a
goal workshop at 5 p.m.
January 11 prior to the
regular council meeting.
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PRAYER POWER SEEKS NOMINEES
We are accepting nominations for the 2021 “Saints
in Light Award” which is to be presented to an indi
vidual in Pike County who is a non-clergy, but has
been a spiritually inspiring, motivating, and encour
aging influence in the community.
AND
Nominations for the 2021 “Prayer Power Faith
Award/ Scholarship” which is awarded to graduat
ing Pike County Seniors who have displayed growth
and maturity in their spiritual life during their high
school experience. They many be home schooled or
have attended private or public school.
All nominations must be received by
the first day of April, 2021.
For more information and the
nomination forms go to;
www.prayerpower4u.net
or by email;
prayerpower4u @ bellsouth.net
or by mail’
Prayer Power
PO Box 1263
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Zebulon, GA 30295
