Much of the neighboring areas of north Georgia and western North Carolina also have widely available fiber from the local electric and telephone co-ops. Obama's broadband stimulus paid for much of a fiber backbone that connects them running from north of Atlanta through the Tennessee Valley to Asheville and beyond.

My place in WNC is, sadly, just outside Blue Ridge EMC's footprint. Pay $100/m for 100/4 cable. The billboard on US-129 proclaiming "Big City Speeds & Performance, Small-Town Personal Service" irks me every time I pass by because the service is every bit as shitty as that slogan made me expect.