As part of AT&T’s* continuing efforts to drive economic development and investment in Mississippi, AT&T, the City of Oxford, the Lafayette County Board of Supervisors and the Oxford-Lafayette Economic Development Foundation announced this week that the Max D. Hipp Industrial Park has been certified as AT&T fiber ready.

A formal announcement from local, state and AT&T officials will be held Monday at 10 a.m. at the Max D. Hipp Industrial Park.

With the designation of being AT&T fiber ready, economic development leaders can more effectively position their communities for site selection by emphasizing the availability of high-speed, fiber-based services.

“AT&T is investing in high-speed Internet in urban and rural areas all across Mississippi using the latest wired and wireless technologies, and we are proud to highlight the Max D. Hipp Industrial Park as one of the many places in Mississippi where AT&T’s fiber infrastructure is in place and ready to help community leaders drive job creation,” said Mayo Flynt, president of AT&T Mississippi. “Positive, pro-business policies embraced by elected officials continue to make our state a great place to invest, and I’m proud of the work our AT&T Mississippi employees have done deploying fiber and other infrastructure that delivers high-speed Internet access. Their hard work and skills, combined with millions of dollars in AT&T investment, enable Mississippians to connect and innovate.”

Mayor Pat Patterson said Oxford is “sending a clear message that our area is connected.

“We’re deploying leading edge technology to provide market advantages to area businesses,” Patterson said. “The AT&T Fiber Ready certification allows us to confidently tell companies looking to locate or expand in Oxford that they can check the important high-speed connectivity box.”

State senator Gray Tollison (R-Oxford), said the designation “is a great economic tool for us to have.

“Our resources in Mississippi are extensive, but if potential investors aren’t aware of the tech infrastructure in place, then we face the potential of missing opportunities,” Tollison said. “The AT&T Fiber Ready certification helps us tout the existence of our fiber infrastructure and eliminate those missed opportunities.”

Lafayette County Board of Supervisors president Jeff Busby the cooperative effort locally and in the state capitol is benefitting the county.

“The Board of Supervisors works hard to do our part to ensure Lafayette County is headed in the right direction economically, and we appreciate the leadership of our legislators, who are doing their part in Jackson,” Busby said. “Our focus on creating a healthy business environment and AT&T’s commitment to help drive economic development are vital to our work growing opportunities in Mississippi.”

Oxford-Lafayette Economic Development Foundation president and CEO Jon Maynard said this designation is key to development in the industrial park.

“Fiber is a key component to infrastructure preparedness, and the AT&T Fiber Ready designation helps publicize the Max D. Hipp Industrial Park as ready for further advanced development,” Maynard said. “We can assure companies looking to locate and expand in this area that this park can provide the high-speed connectivity they require to do business globally, right here from Lafayette County.”