FOWLER, IND. – Construction has begun on over 100 miles of mainline fiber optic cable in Benton County, which will allow the first customers to be connected and support future service expansions into surrounding areas.
Benton County is currently ranked 91st in broadband service out of Indiana’s 92 counties. This means that most of Benton County’s residents do not currently have access to reliable internet of at least 10 mbps upload speed at an affordable rate.
Through the state of Indiana’s Next Level Connections program, Mainstream Fiber Networks was awarded a grant in the amount of $3 million, with a local match of nearly $3.2, million for a total project cost of more than $6.2 million. This project will bring fast, affordable and reliable internet to more than 2,435 unserved households and 554 unserved businesses in Benton County.
The initial phase of the mainline construction project is taking place northwest of US 52 from Atkinson to Earl Park. Customers in this area can now sign up for service at www.msfiber.net, and installation to addresses along this route are scheduled to begin in March.
Mainline construction from Raub south through Dunnington and east through Templeton is slated to begin soon. After the initial mainline infrastructure is created, Mainstream will expand to outlying communities and neighborhoods based on interest – with a commitment to serving as many interested homes as possible. Currently, Mainstream plans expansion builds for an additional three to five years based on project size, or longer, based on customer demand.
“We are thrilled to have the opportunity to bring reliable, affordable, high speed fiber optic internet service to Benton County,” said Bryan Gabriel, CEO of Mainstream Fiber Networks. “We live and work in the communities we serve, and we are looking forward to growing with and in Benton County as we connect our neighbors to high quality internet and a higher quality of life.”
Mainstream Fiber Networks has also opened a regional office located at 109 S. Grant Ave., Fowler, Indiana 47499. The office will serve Mainstream’s residential and business customers in the county. When it is safe to do so, Mainstream Fiber Networks will host a grand opening celebration at the Benton County regional office.