More than a quarter-million Southwest Georgia homes are now “gigabit” eligible.

Internet service provider Mediacom announced this week it was expanding its high-speed offering that includes speeds of up to 1 gigabit per second.

The announcement is a big one for the largely rural area, where broadband internet access is often spotty. Georgia House Speaker David Ralston, R-Blue Ridge, was on hand for the announcement in Valdosta on Thursday.

“This is the kind of forward thinking, long-term investment we are looking for in our rural areas,” Ralston said.

The speaker this past legislative session championed the creation of a House Rural Development Council that will study challenges facing the state's rural communities.

Mediacom’s new service is available in more than 50 communities and is part of a $1 billion national investment in infrastructure.