TDS breaks ground on large-scale, high-speed internet project in rural Dane County, Wisconsin

Multi-million-dollar effort will upgrade speeds to more than 5K addresses

TDS Telecommunications LLC (TDS®) celebrated the start of construction on a major Dane County rural internet upgrade project with a ceremonial groundbreaking in Black Earth, Wisconsin. The company’s build will deliver at least 100 Mbps internet to more than 5,500 rural addresses located in communities across Dane County including Black Earth, Cross Plains, Middleton, Mt. Vernon, and Verona. At the event, Senior Vice President of Corporate Affairs Drew Petersen was joined by Dane County Executive Melissa Agard, as well as local and area officials and state representatives. 

"Internet connectivity in rural areas is so important because it ensures equitable access to online resources," emphasized Petersen. "We are thrilled to bring these much-awaited faster connections to our customers and help bridge the digital divide.” 

The nearly $15 million project comes thanks to TDS investment and the Federal Communication Commission’s (FCC) Enhanced Alternative Connect America Cost Model program (E-ACAM). E-ACAM is a multi-year program that provides funding to deploy and support 100/20 Mbps or faster broadband service to some of the most rural geographies in TDS' footprint. TDS is participating in the E-ACAM program to help bridge the digital divide in 23 states.  

“Being the fastest growing county in the state, we welcome even more reasons for people to come to live, work and raise their family,” said Dane County Executive Melissa Agard. “It shouldn’t matter where you live in Dane County, you should have access to high speed internet and we appreciate all the work that’s being done to get us there.”   

All addresses included in the project will receive at least 100 Mbps internet with multi-gig speeds available in some locations. The first customers are expected to enjoy the new speeds by the third quarter of this year, with some locations gaining up to 1 Gigabit service. The upgrades will reach rural addresses in the cities and towns of Black Earth, Middleton and Verona, the village of Waunakee, as well as the towns of Cross Plains, Dane, Montrose, Springfield, Springdale, and Vienna.  

 Construction recently started on the new infrastructure, with contractors accessing public utility easements to install conduit and fiber-optic cables, as well as upgrading aerial cables. TDS services will become available to customers in phases as construction progresses. 
 
Throughout TDS’ service areas, TDS Connect, the company's affordable high-speed service option, continues to be available to eligible customers. 

 Visit tdstelecom.com/support/networkupgrades for more information about TDS E-ACAM projects.