Construction begins in Latah County, Idaho
Construction expected to be done in 2018
Construction is under way to expand and improve broadband to 1,336 locations in northern Idaho. TDS Telecom (TDS®) began work in February in portions of Latah County. Construction is expected to be done in 2018.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) allocated nearly $1.1 million each year to reach residents in some of the hardest to serve areas in Idaho.
Idaho residents can visit the TDS website ( https://tdstelecom.com/networkupgrades.html ) to find out how this federal program may impact their location.
Depending on location, most TDS customers in eligible rural areas will receive guaranteed broadband speeds of 25Mbps download and 3 Mbps upload (25/3). Under the agreement with the FCC, the remaining customers will receive broadband service at lower speeds of 10/1 and 4/1Mbps.
“We are excited to bring faster connections to customers in northern Idaho,” said Gail Long, manager – State Government Affairs at TDS.
In January, TDS announced it elected to receive approximately $75.1 million a year to increase broadband access in 25 states from the FCC’s A-CAM, under the Connect America Fund (CAF) program. TDS will leverage the funds over the next 10 years to support the buildout of rural broadband networks to nearly 160,000 locations across the country.
TDS has been doing business in Idaho since 1988 and owns one telephone company in the state. TDS employs 3 people in Idaho.
