TDS expands broadband to more than 31,000 households via ARRA-funding assistance

TDS was one of the few telecoms to aggressively apply for American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) grants from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Rural Utilities Service (RUS). As a result of the demonstrated need and desire to expand high-speed broadband Internet services to more customers, TDS was awarded 44 total grants to expand services in 20 states.

To date, TDS has completed nearly all of the 44 projects resulting in more than 31,000 households gaining access to a high-speed Internet connection. These projects are also impacting businesses, hospitals and schools. The remaining projects are expected to be completed in the next six to eight months.

"We leveraged the best technologies available to deliver service to more customers in many rural unserved and underserved areas," said Larry Boehm, director of network implementation and optimization for TDS. "When we looked at the engineering designs, we looked at getting fiber as deep as possible. We also looked at how we could reuse copper to deliver faster speeds."

Total project costs were estimated at nearly $136 million. TDS invested about $31 million and the remaining projects were funded through the ARRA grants.

 

TDS Telecommunications LLC (TDS Telecom/TDS®) delivers high-speed internet, TV entertainment, and phone services to a mix of small to mid-sized urban, suburban and rural communities throughout the U.S. With 1.1 million connections, TDS’ mission is to create a better world through its communications services. Powered by fiber-optics and new industry-leading technologies, TDS delivers up to 8 Gigabit internet speeds and offers internet-protocol based TV entertainment solutions along with traditional phone services. TDS also offers businesses VoIP advanced communications solutions, dedicated internet service, and data networking services. Visit tdstelecom.com.

TDS Telecom, headquartered in Madison, Wis., employs 3,400 people and is a subsidiary of Telephone and Data Systems, Inc. [NYSE: TDS]. Founded in 1969, Telephone and Data Systems provides wireless, broadband, video and voice services to approximately 6 million connections nationwide through its businesses: UScellular and TDS Telecom. Visit tdsinc.com.

Search Bar

Filter search results:

Not finding what you're looking for?

Visit our support site for FAQs, how-tos, and other useful resources.