The Public Service Commission encourages participation in “Zap the Gap” program to expand areas with certain service gaps.

Public Service Commission Southern District Commissioner Dane Maxwell is encouraging residents to participate in “Zap the Gap,” a program allowing residents to report areas where they lack cell phone coverage, high speed internet service or natural gas service.

“Reliable cell phone and internet services have become so important to the lives of many Mississippians, especially to those in rural areas,” Maxwell said. “This program is designed to get direct feedback from the people who are actually impacted by these gaps, so that we can help service providers identify problem areas.”

According to the Federal Communications Commission’s website, Lincoln County has six internet service providers as of June 2019: Cable One, Telepak, ViaSat, HughesNet, AT&T and Skycasters.

The types of internet technology provided are ADSL, cable, fiber, fixed wireless and satellite. The average speed is less than 25 Megabits per second. The FCC defines high speed internet, also known as broadband, as having a minimum download speed of 25 Mbps and a minimum upload speed of 3 Mbps.

The survey can be filled out at www.psc.ms.gov/south/ztg.