January 16, 2014 — Customers in Wisconsin, Virginia, and Alabama gain access to high-speed Internet service; more customers will be connected during the next few months.
TDS Telecommunications Corp. (TDS®) announces parts of four American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) stimulus-funded broadband Internet projects are now accessible to customers. This includes residents and businesses in parts of Wisconsin, Virginia, and Alabama.
Construction on all four stimulus-funded projects is expected to wrap-up this spring.
In Wisconsin, there are two projects that, once complete will connect more than 1,200 residents to high-speed Internet service. TDS’ Badger Telecom project, around Neillsville, Wis., will provide about 870 customers with Internet access. In this area, nearly 70 miles of fiber optics cabling is being installed and 23 cabinets (which protect the advanced network electronics) are being placed to connect more residents and businesses.
The second Wisconsin project, areas around Bagley and Mt. Hope in TDS’ Grantland Telecom exchange, has nearly 20 miles of fiber optics cabling being installed and nine cabinets being placed. This will provide high-speed Internet access to about 350 more area residents.
In Alabama, about 500 residents near Grove Hill, which is part of TDS’ Butler Telephone Company, will gain access to high-speed Internet service. About 90 miles of fiber optics cabling is being installed and eight cabinets are being placed as part of this project.
TDS’ stimulus-funded project around Paint Bank and Abbott, Va., includes six cabinets. Once complete, about 300 residents in TDS’ New Castle Telephone Company exchange will have access to high-speed Internet service.
TDS will notify customers when service is accessible; customers may also call 888-225-5837 to sign up.
TDS is receiving funding for 44 projects, including these four projects, from the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Rural Utilities Service (RUS) as part of the ARRA.
Nationwide, more than 95 percent of TDS customers already have access to high-speed Internet service. TDS is intent on providing as many remaining customers with broadband connectivity as possible. According to TDS, federal stimulus funds are helping to close the gap and deliver Internet connectivity to more than 20,000 customers.
For background information and updates, visit www.tdstelecom.com/stimulus.
