Southern Indiana Business Report
BLOOMFIELD – The Utilities District of Western Indiana REMC and Mainstream Fiber Networks will begin building the infrastructure needed to serve the cooperative’s members with high-speed fiber-optic connectivity starting this month.
Mainstream and its construction and design contractors, Tango Fiber and Helix Engineering, will be in the area during the coming weeks to begin installation of an initial “loop” though Greene County, which will serve as the backbone for a fiber ring that will eventually allow members access to the new service. UDWI will provide advice and assist Mainstream in routes and strategic locations for the project.
Phase One construction will continue through 2025 and will put in place the framework to connect up to 4,000 meters in the county. During this phase, Mainstream expects to begin connecting members, and as the project progresses, members will receive more information as fiber becomes available in their specific area.
“Access to reliable internet is a fundamental necessity for today’s digital economy,” said Mainstream CEO Bryan Gabriel. “By continuing our focus on rural communities, we are not only creating new opportunities for economic growth and innovation but also fostering equality of opportunity for all Hoosiers. This collaboration with UDWI embodies our commitment to bridging the digital divide between densely populated areas and the numerous rural communities.”
Installing fiber in rural areas is challenging and costly, and this project allows UDWI and Mainstream to work together to bring multi-gigabit fiber broadband more quickly and efficiently. By partnering, each company can leverage its assets, making it possible to increase connectivity in hard-to-serve areas in the region. There is no cost to UDWI members for this project. If members decide to subscribe to the fiber service, it will be billed directly though Mainstream.
“Fiber access has been a longstanding and challenging issue in our area, and we made a public commitment to our members that we would work to find strategic and cost-effective ways to make high-speed internet available – this partnership is the next big step in making it happen,” said UDWI REMC CEO Doug Childs. “Mainstream and UDWI will use the electric distribution infrastructure already in place to significantly expand the number of members with access while keeping costs of building the fiber network down. We are setting the stage to make our residents, schools and businesses more connected and more competitive in today’s digital environment.”
While Phase One will focus on portions of Greene County, the goal of the UDWI and Mainstream partnership is to eventually offer fiber access to the majority of unserved and underserved homes in the cooperative’s service territory. The progress of this project will span a total of five to seven years and will rely partly on continued grant funding and the time needed for construction across the multiple counties in the service territory.
More information on Mainstream can be found at www.msfiber.com and www.udwiremc.com. Please follow UDWI REMC on Facebook for additional updates.