One of the first providers of Internet service in Covington County will stop providing services in October.

AlaWeb customers have been officially notified of the change by mail.

Jimmy Caton and Paul Spears Sr. started AlaWeb in 1996. Covington Rural Services, a subsidiary of Covington Electric Cooperative, later partnered with AlaWeb to promote Internet services in the rural area.

Alabama played an early role in providing free internet access to local schools and libraries.

As communication technologies have improved and access to these technologies has become more competitive, AlaWeb accounts have continued to decline each year, according to a press release from CEC distributed on Monday. The declining number of users makes it no longer feasible to continue offering Internet services after Oct. 1, 2014, the statement said.

AlaWeb served a pivotal role in local communities by offering affordable Internet services to rural areas before other options were available