By Lynn Binnie
Whitewater Banner volunteer staff
whitewaterbanner@gmail.com
A representative from TDS Telecom (TDS) announced at the September 6 meeting of the Whitewater Common Council that the company has plans to bury a 56 mile digital fiber network that would allow it to serve 98% of the city with internet, television, and phone service. TDS, headquartered in Madison, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Telephone and Data Systems Inc, and is the seventh-largest local exchange carrier in the U.S., serving approximately 1100 cities. US Cellular is another of the subsidiaries. The majority of the company, which was founded in 1969, is still owned by the Carlson family.
TDS intends to install a network that it considers to be “future proof.” It is claimed that fiber is virtually immune to interference and doesn’t falter under extreme weather conditions. Symmetrical internet speeds for residential start at 300 MB x 300 MB and are offered up to ultra-fast 2Gig. Up to 10Gig is dedicated to business customers. Ultimately the fiber will potentially be capable of providing 20 to 100Gig as electronic components above ground are upgraded. Spectrum is currently the only residential high speed broadband and cable TV provider in the city. It does not have a fiber network here. According to Spectrum’s website, its current maximum internet speed is 1Gig.
No timeline for construction and introduction of service was provided by TDS. Next steps include requests for proposals, signing of a franchise agreement with the city, and architectural design. It was acknowledged that inconveniences will be resulting from the construction, but the representative indicated that the company is committed to safety and to prompt resolution of complaints. Connections to service would be offered on an area by area basis as the installation proceeds. TDS recently built out a fiber network in Sun Prairie, with population over 35,000, in 16 months. Installation of a fiber network is currently underway in Janesville.
No information was given regarding the pricing for the services. It was claimed that within a matter of weeks residents and businesses will be able to enter their address into a website in order to get an estimate for when service is expected to be available, and may even be able to sign on to a waiting list.
