General FAQs

Electric rates will not be going up because of the fiber deployment. NEMEPA will own the fiber and be able to utilize the fiber for its own electric grid communications and management. NEMEPA and SPARC are two separate organizations, and all costs and revenues will be separated appropriately. NEMEPA will cover all the costs of fiber through revenues received. NE SPARC will be a self-sufficient company.

Fiber optic systems use bursts of light sent through thin glass fibers to transmit information, resulting in much faster speeds than traditional copper lines. Most internet providers use fiber in their systems, but use copper lines for the final connection to the home, resulting in slower speeds. NE SPARC will bring fiber all the way into your home, giving you access to download and upload speeds up to 1 gigabit.

View our current pricing on the Residential Services and Business Services pages.

Managed Wi-Fi enables NE SPARC personnel to quickly and easily set up, maintain and manage your wireless network, including troubleshooting, updates and security. It also includes free voice support, free on-site support, warranty and replacement and comes with a smart home app that allows the customer to view their download and upload speeds.

You are not required to provide any equipment for internet service, and there is no fee for the equipment. Managed wireless, which uses an Optical Network Terminal for a wireless router, is included with the service.

No. Use as much data as you want with no caps or throttling.

You must use the ONT as the modem, but you can use a different wireless router if you prefer. The managed Wi-Fi services, free phone support and free on-site support would no longer be included if the NE SPARC-provided wireless router is not used.

Physical damage will be charged to the subscriber. Malfunctioning equipment will be replaced by NE SPARC at no charge.

Yes. You are responsible for returning the equipment in good condition to our office.

No. We will never sell your information to third parties.

NE SPARC does not provide email service. If you need a new email address, we recommend creating an account with one of the many high-quality free email providers.

All North East MS Electric Power Association members are eligible for NE SPARC service.

Head to our home page and enter your name, address, and ZIP code to get started. If you are within NEMEPA’s service territory you can preregister for service.

Not at this time. You may either sign up online or come by our office.

The fiber construction process is on schedule to be completed by December 2021.

We plan to offer NE SPARC to all NEMEPA members before we consider whether to expand outside the NEMEPA coverage area. You can register for information even if you are not an NEMEPA member. We will use this information to gauge interest outside our service territory.

You’ll need permission from your landlord to have the installation performed.

Once you’ve signed up and construction is close to completion in your area, we’ll get in touch by email or a phone call to set up your services.

Not at this time.

No! Our great prices are full price from the start, so you don’t have to worry about prices skyrocketing after a promotional period is up.

Prices may potentially increase due to increases in wholesale or other unforeseen cost increases that may arise. However, SPARC does not intend on having promotional or introductory pricing structures that increase after a set amount of time. Any increases would be made for all subscribers.

Internet service is untaxed, but city franchise taxes may apply to your location. Voice service is subject to standard taxes and fees, which vary based on your location.

Once you have signed up for service, we will contact you to schedule a date for installation.

You can choose an available time Monday through Saturday.

Yes, you or an adult from your house must be home for installation to verify your selections and choose where to place the equipment.

Yes, the installer will enter your home to install the fiber optic cable and necessary equipment.

It’s best to run Cat-5E or Cat-6 twisted pair wire anywhere there might be a TV, phone, computer or router. We recommend running the cabling to a central hub, preferably in the middle of the house. Make sure not to run Cat-5 next to electric wire or over any electric lights — it’s not shielded, so it’s vulnerable to interference.

If you establish a central hub, we suggest stubbing a ½” piece of conduit outside near the electric meter, running flex conduit from there to the hub. When we install NE SPARC service, we’ll run fiber through the conduit, or give you fiber to run yourself.

For the average household, no. There are some instances where a contact may be required.

All billing will begin for NE SPARC services once installation is completed and all service options provided have been turned on. All services are billed ahead. This means that if you receive a bill in March, it will be for services in April.

No. NE SPARC bills will be managed separately.

Yes, a late fee will be assessed on the account if the payment is not made on the original due date.

The investment in the region will be about $45-50 million.

When combined with internet service, the voice service is $24.95 per month plus standard phone taxes. Unlike many other phone providers, we do not charge any fees that aren’t mandated. Voice only service (no internet) is $49.95 per month.

For Businesses, visit the Business Services page.

The details for international calling have not been finalized.

Yes.

You will be able to keep your phone number in most cases.

We don’t currently offer home security but may in the future if there is enough demand.

It is too early to speculate how much of an economic development impact this will have for our area. We do know that competition is good for consumers. This region has been plagued with either a lack of true broadband availability or a lack of reliable and affordable service. This project will bring real broadband to some area residents and businesses for the first time.