CENTRE, Ala. (March 15, 2012) — Contractors from 17 telecom construction companies received details earlier today to bid on the broadband Internet expansion project in Alabama. TDS Telecommunications Corp. (TDS®) hosted the pre-bid meeting to outline the project which will expand the company’s broadband network near Centre. Bids are due to TDS by April 5, 2012.
Once complete, approximately 1,200 customers in TDS’ Peoples Telephone Company (outlined today) in Alabama will have access to a high-speed Internet connection. The areas impacted are near Dawson, Collinsville, Sand Rock, Leesburg, Centre, Cedar Bluff, and Gaylesville. {Click on company name above for map detailing areas where high-speed Internet services will be expanded.}
The project is one of 44 TDS has received funding for from the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act via the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Rural Utilities Service (RUS).
More than 93 percent of TDS customers nationwide currently have Internet access. The remaining seven percent are harder to reach and more difficult to provide high-speed Internet services. There are many reasons for this, including sparse population and topography. These rural geographies push the limits of technology and make it difficult, albeit nearly impossible, to develop a solid business case for deploying broadband. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act provides companies like TDS a window of opportunity to expand broadband services to residents in areas that are currently without access to a reliable high-speed Internet connection.
“The pre-bid meeting is a critical piece to getting this network built,” says Larry Boehm, director of Network Implementation and Optimization for TDS. “We outlined the project and the timelines. Now, contractors have a chance to submit their bid and demonstrate they can meet the project expectations on deadline. We’re looking to hire the firms quickly so construction can get underway this spring. Our customers are ready and waiting for access to high-speed Internet service.”