Animal Services in Oconee County, Georgia, located about 90 minutes outside of Atlanta, sits on a country road, surrounded mostly by farms of pine timber, produce and cattle. Nearly 1,200 animals, primarily dogs and cats, go through the shelter each year — many have been lost, injured, surrendered or abandoned.

Despite building renovations in 2020, one challenge remained at the facility: slow DSL. Online adoption applications constantly timed out, photos of lost pets proved tedious to upload, and the slow speeds hindered communications with law enforcement in cases of neglect or abuse.

All of that changed when rural expansion due to Spectrum’s partnership with Oconee County, the federal Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF), and Spectrum investment turned the odds for animals in their favor.