Stimulus projects surpass 20,000 enabled homes
Having the opportunity to connect more households to high-speed Internet service is exactly why TDS Telecom applied for American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) stimulus funds. Today, more than 20,000 homes are enabled and the projects are winding down.
“Passing 20,000 homes is a major project milestone,” says Larry Boehm, director of Network Implementation and Optimization. “You have to remember, these homes are located in some of the most rural and difficult places to reach. In fact, without stimulus monies, it’s unlikely TDS would have invested to expand broadband to these areas.”
In early December, TDS announced 10,000 households were enabled. Now, less than four months later, that number has doubled to just over 20,000.
“Despite the miserable weather across the country,” Boehm says, “our field service employees have done an outstanding job of moving things forward. Their perseverance and steadfast commitment is the reason we are celebrating this milestone.”
Check out photos of the weather TDS technicians had to contend with.
Today, in addition to surpassing 20,000 homes, 16 of the 44 stimulus projects are complete and another 16 are accessible to some area customers. With the exception of Arizona and Island Telephone in Michigan, all the projects are projected to be finished this spring/summer.
Once all 44 broadband stimulus projects are done, more than 27,000 households in 20 states will have gained access to a high-speed Internet connection. A majority of the cost, estimated at nearly $136 million, is covered by the ARRA stimulus grants. However, TDS is investing nearly $31 million of its own funds to make these projects happen.
