The nation’s largest private telecom company has a new senior vice president and region manager for the Southwest.

Percy Kirk will now oversee Cox operations and the more than 4,300 employees in the company’s largest region, which includes Phoenix, Las Vegas, and Southern Arizona.

Most recently, Kirk led Cox’s Central Region, based in Oklahoma. The new post is a homecoming of sorts for Kirk, who previously held the position of Cox Arizona’s vice president of network operations.

“I am so pleased to have Percy lead our Southwest Region,” said Colleen Langner, senior vice president, field operations.  “He has seen us grow from a traditional residential cable TV provider to a broadband service provider that connects millions of homes and businesses with a continually expanding diverse product portfolio. His deep operational and technical experience makes him an exceptional leader who I know will positively impact our teams, customers and communities.”

Serving more than 35 years in the cable telecommunications industry, Kirk has held a variety of positions within Cox Communications. 

Prior to leading the Central Region for Cox, Kirk was the senior vice president and general manager for Cox Oklahoma where he managed strategic operations in the Oklahoma City and Tulsa metro areas. He also served as senior vice president and general manager for the company’s Omaha market and has held the position of vice president of operations for Cox Communications Kansas.

“Percy is no stranger to Arizona and was a key leader during our expansion into delivering broadband and phone service in Arizona. His leadership style and focus on employees, customers and the community will be a huge asset to the state,” said Susan Anable, Cox Southwest Vice President of Public Affairs.

Carrying the Cox tradition of supporting the communities where it serves, Kirk has continued to build a strong reputation in his community and is a past chair of the Greater Oklahoma City Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół»­ of Commerce, past chair of The Foundation for Oklahoma City Public Schools and he served on the board of directors for the United Way of Central Oklahoma and the OKC Compact. 

Kirk will be joining several key Arizona community and business organizations this fall.

Kirk’s appointment follows the retirement of John Wolfe, a 40-year veteran in the cable and telecom world, who previously oversaw the Southwest region.Cox serves six million homes and businesses across 18 states. In metro Phoenix, the company serves approximately 2.5 million product subscribers, and in Southern Arizona, approximately 400,000 product subscribers, with residential and business digital television, 1G high speed Internet, security systems and digital telephone service over its own nationwide IP network.

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To help Arizona families impacted by COVID-19, Cox Communications announced it is extending its offer of two free months internet service for new customers. 

“Connection is more important than ever before, especially for kids,” said Cox Communications’ President and CEO Pat Esser.

Esser also announced that the company is pledging $60 million over the next year to close the digital learning gap for the neediest students. 

The telecommunications giant also is keeping 2,500-plus free wifi hotspots open to anyone who needs it in the Phoenix and Southern Arizona regions. 

Families receiving some form of government assistance qualify 

Eligible families can receive the two free months by signing up for the Connect2Compete internet service through the rest of the year. After two free months, the service cost is only $9.95 per month. 

The program is available to families who have at least one child that is a K-12 student at home and participate in one of these government subsidy programs: the National School Lunch Program, SNAP, TANF, Head Start, WIC, LIHEAP, or Public Housing

Students without digital options left behind 

The announcement is part of a continuing commitment by COX to help students compete academically during the pandemic disruptions. 

“We continue to look at ways to support kids that need the tools to succeed and know it starts with an internet connection, device and digital resources,” Esser said.

Through June 30, 2021 Cox is taking steps to help bridge the learning divide including:

• Actively promote the low-cost Connect2Compete program, including providing toolkits for schools to help families connect
• Continue no requirement of deposits or application fees and proactively waive late fees for eligible Connect2Compete customers
• Provide flexible payment arrangements for eligible customers who contact Cox with an inability to pay due to pandemic hardships
• Partner with cities, school districts and community-based organizations to connect large numbers of low-income students to the internet

Cox employees raise $560,000 for youth and education 

As part of its ongoing mission to help youth and education, Cox’s charitable arm, Cox Charities, has selected more than 100 Arizona nonprofits in Phoenix and Southern Arizona to receive nearly $560,000 in grant funding. 

Most of the money comes from donations from the company’s 3,100 Arizona employees. For almost 35 years, Cox employees have pitched in annually to raise a total $8.5 million for Arizona nonprofits that support youth and education. 

Keeping children and students connected so they can succeed academically was particularly important to the employees this year, they said. 

“Through Cox Charities, we help ensure that our youth get the educational services they need and don’t fall through the cracks. That makes me extremely proud,” Cox employee Astrid Valencia said. 

Grants range from $2,500 to $10,000 this year. 

Arizona Autism United said it is using the grant money to provide online access for 800 children in their homes. 

Another nonprofit, School Connect, is buying 67 Lenovo touchscreen laptop computers with Office 365 software installed so low-income families in the Litchfield Elementary School District can sign up for the Connect2Compete program. 

Families interested in the Connect2Compete can get qualified for the service on their mobile device or computer by visiting .

To find a free wifi hotspot, go to:

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Pulling rural Arizona into digital age

Tens of thousands of residents and businesses in rural Arizona will see expanded access to reliable high speed internet service over the next two years. Places like Bullhead City, Fort Mohave, Page, Payson, Star Valley, and the Tonto Apache reservation. More rural highways will be getting connected, too.

Last week, Gov. Doug Ducey pledged to more than triple grant funding for broadband projects this year to $10 million to help erase the digital divide in rural areas.

Ducey also announced $50 million for the “Smart Highways Corridor” initiative to bring connectivity to more rural highways as well.

“We’re just getting started,” Gov. Ducey said last week after announcing plans to ratchet up efforts and funding to give rural communities the same competitive edge as their urban counterparts.

“These grants are a crucial investment in rural Arizona,” the governor said. “Access to fast, reliable internet will aid economic development, enhance educational opportunities, strengthen health care and improve public safety across rural Arizona.”

Here’s what’s coming 

Meanwhile, a number of projects are readying to break ground as a result of $3 million in grant funding approved last year. The Arizona Commerce Authority awards the grants through the state’s Rural Broadband Development Grant .

Development grants of up to $1 million were awarded for three projects this year:

• Mohave Electric Coop will provide high-speed broadband service at speeds up to 10 Gbps symmetrical to its 35,000 members in Bullhead City, Fort Mohave and Mohave Valley.
• Sparklight, formerly known as Cable One, will provide fiber to approximately 400 business customers in Payson, Star Valley and the Tonto Apache reservation that has symmetrical service up to 2 Gbps
• Commnet Wireless will create a new fiber-optic middle mile to Page to serve 310 small businesses and 1,066 households in the area.

Grants of up to $50,000 each were also awarded to Coconino County, Gila County, Springerville and St. Johns to start plotting broadband projects.

Highways targeted for connectivity

For more highway connectivity, the Arizona Department of Transportation will install more than 500 miles of broadband conduit and fiber optic cable along designated three highway segments:

• Interstate 17 between Sunset Point and Flagstaff
• Interstate 40 between the Arizona-New Mexico and Arizona-California borders
• Interstate 19 between Tucson and Nogales.

Rural digital crisis

Approximately 898,724 Arizona citizens – mostly in rural and tribal communities – have  limited or no access to high-speed internet, according to the 2018 Arizona Statewide Broadband Strategic Plan report. Only 78 percent of Arizonans have access to the internet in their home.

The governor’s announcement to triple grant funding this year is welcome news for rural residents, business owners, students and others who struggle to compete in the digital world, business and community representatives said.

Inadequate broadband services “marginalize” all individuals and businesses including commerce, education, medical services, work-from-home businesses, and emergency services, said Dave Lock, CEO of Grand Canyon State Electric Cooperative Association, the statewide association that represents Arizona’s electric cooperatives.

One of its cooperatives, Mohave Electric (MEC), is the first cooperative in the state to step up to offer high speed internet to consumers in its service area. Currently, only about 150 co-ops out of 900 in the U.S. have a broadband program.

Biggest step ever to close rural gap

About 19 million Americans, or 6 percent of the population, lack access to fixed broadband service at threshold speeds, according to a report from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). In rural areas, nearly one-fourth of the population, 14.5 million people, lack access. In tribal areas, nearly one-third of the population lacks access.

Even in areas where broadband is available, approximately 100 million Americans still do not subscribe.

Over the past two decades, state and national leaders have been working to address rural connectivity, including launching the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund. The FCC will vote on rules Jan. 30 for the proposed plan that will allocate $20.4 billion to broadband providers serving rural areas in the U.S. This represents the biggest single step ever by the FCC toward closing the rural digital divide.

The fund, to be allocated over the next 10 years, is being made available for the first time to cable providers, wireless companies and electric co-ops, to move more urgently to close the divide.

“This new fund would target rural areas across the country where residents currently lack access to adequate broadband and would deploy high-speed broadband to millions of rural Americans in an efficient and effective manner,” FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said in a prepared statement.

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Getting wired for success in rural Arizona

For students in rural Arizona, having high-speed internet can mean the difference between going to college or not.

Something as simple as accessing a college application or taking a course online is often out of their reach. That places them at the back of the school bus in competing with their urban peers.

Two years ago, state officials vowed to do something about it. They applied for and received federal matching monies to start the Arizona Initiative for Broadband Education program.

Since then, construction has been completed or is underway to bring broadband to rural schools across the state. Over the next two years, the goal is to help schools provide high-speed internet to 282,000 students.

“This is going to enable distance learning. It will allow a kid to watch open heart surgery being performed at the Mayo Clinic in Phoenix, take a biology class from Arizona State University or an architectural design course from MI-JTED (Mountain Institute Joint Technical Education District) in Prescott,” said Arizona Department of Education E-Rate Controller Milan Eaton, whose office handles applications from schools wanting broadband.

“By providing high-speed internet, we’re opening these kids up to the world,” he said. “That’s what we need to do. That’s our responsibility.”

In addition to bridging the technology gap for students, small school districts that pay thousands of dollars a month for poor quality internet, will now pay only a few hundred dollars a month for high-speed service as good as “downtown Phoenix,” Eaton said.

Rural Arizona schools among most needy in nation

In Arizona where 135 out of 223 school districts are considered rural, high-speed connectivity is  a critical issue.

A few years ago, Arizona’s rural schools were ranked second in the nation for having the “highest needs,” according to , a 50-state report by the nonprofit, nonpartisan Rural School and Community Trust.

A lack of broadband connectivity was cited as a major factor. While enrollment by high school students in online dual enrollment classes continued to rise, rural students in Arizona were being left behind.

With the help of Gov. Doug Ducey and former Arizona Corporation Commissioner Andy Tobin, Eaton was able to secure $11 million in state funding to use for matching funding to apply for a Federal Communications Commission grant.

The return on the state’s money has been tenfold. More than $115 million in federal funding has been awarded to Arizona to bring broadband to rural schools and libraries in all 15 counties.

The high amount awarded reflects Arizona’s extreme need. Schools must meet certain poverty guidelines to receive funding.

Equipping school buses, hot box packs

Rural students in the state, many whom are Latino, low-income or first-generation students, consistently come up short when it comes to postsecondary academic attainment, according to a released last October by the nonprofit College Success Arizona.

To help bridge the technological divide for poor students, schools like Alta Vista High School, an alternative charter school in South Tucson, allow them to check out hot boxes so they can have internet at home, too.

In the Vail school district nearby, school buses that trek to outlying areas within the 425-square- mile district have long been equipped with wifi so students can study on the 45-minute rides to and from school.

Vail, that is largely a suburban district with a couple of rural pockets, was one of the first in the nation to provide one-on-one laptops for students. It later developed a comprehensive online lesson sharing program called that it sells to other districts.

Technology has been the “driving force” behind the district’s high academic success, Communications Director Darcy Mentone said. To read more about how broadband is impacting Arizona schools, go to: .

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There is a growing trend in Arizona of putting unassuming, unnamed, practically unrecognizable buildings to use. Are they warehouses? Sort of. The growing trend is that of data center development in the state, and it’s booming.

The Phoenix area is ranked as the second-most active data center market with new construction in the country, according to CBRE’s Data Center Trends Report. Rows of unassuming warehouses are being repurposed into new data centers, like what is doing in East Mesa with its developing data center project. And some companies, like Microsoft, are opting for buying up giant plots of land to build new data centers from the ground up.

Last year, specifically the second half of last year, Phoenix recorded a record level of 41.6 megawatts of net absorption. Northern Virginia, which still holds a contract to build a new Amazon headquarters, comes in at first place, high on the list with 17.5 megawatts.

Phoenix is landing contract after contract for land acquisitions, seeing the highest demand to build future data center developments. According to the report, about 900 acres of land in metro Phoenix has been bought up by data center developers in the last two years. This represents about 15 million square feet of planned data center buildings, something unseen in other parts of the country, except northern Virginia.

“These data center land investments will increase company interest in the metro area, which is very good for the economy. With data centers come other industries, primarily office-centric requirements,” Mark Krison of CBRE said.

When it comes to data center markets as a whole, Chicago and Dallas have the most supply and demand in the country. Arizona is projected to land the third spot on that list within the next few years, moving up from fifth in the nation currently.

According to Krison, besides national tech companies gobbling up land, it’s local companies, like APS and SRP, that provide a growing power grid, and an attractive Arizona tax incentive for data center developers that allows for money savings. Plus, the Phoenix area’s temperate weather is another boost.

Phoenix has seen a growing interest in the data center market, especially as the country plans to upgrade cellular data to 5G. What’s more, online gaming and streaming services, and big data analytics all play a part as they require immense storage for data. This will help to move information along quicker and more efficiently as well as collect more data and make for faster services.

Currently, the greater Phoenix area is balancing a lot of data center development projects that will come to fruition in the next few years. In Goodyear, Vantage Data Centers, a Santa Clara-based company, will build a 49-acre center; CyrusOne, which already has a center in Chandler, will expand to another location in Mesa this summer; and Boston-based Iron Mountain is currently in the middle of a $430 million, three-story data center in east Phoenix.

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