Geneseo Communications, Cambridge Telcom and Henry County Telephone Company will invest over $9 million with $3 million in ARPA support from Henry County and each participating community to build fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) networks. This expansion will reach residents and businesses within the communities of Annawan, Atkinson, Cambridge, Cleveland and areas of Wolf Road, Illinois.
When this project is complete, more than 5,600 Henry County homes, and approximately 13,000 Henry County residents will have access to Gigabit (FTTP) Internet Service. “We are excited to be expanding our network within these communities,” said CEO Mike McClain. “The proliferation of broadband will have a huge economic impact allowing County leadership to attract new business and improve the quality of life for our residents. As the federal government is encouraging public-private partnerships to expand broadband, this alliance between our companies, the county and communities just makes sense. We look forward to continuing our work with county and community leaders to provide services that vastly surpass those of existing providers, helping build our communities into even more competitive places to live, work, and play.”
“The County is excited to partner with our local businesses and communities to expand broadband access and improve the quality of life for our residents.” Erin Knackstedt, Henry County Administrator.
“Henry County Telephone Company’s large investment in our community is an investment in a brighter future for our citizens,” said Tim Wise, Annawan Village President. “Community-wide access to a fiber-optic network is a multi-faceted economic driver.”
“Having ubiquitous availability of fiber-optic broadband is a requirement for all levels of business, including the demand to work from home. Henry County Telephone’s expansion of high-capacity and reliable broadband positions Atkinson to attract even more business, enhance resident’s lifestyles, and positions us for economic development,” said Ken Tabor, Atkinson Village President.
“This announcement is a game-changer for the Village of Cambridge,” Village Administrator Steve Brown said. “As our community continues to grow, it is vital that we can provide fast, reliable, and affordable fiber optic options. At no time has that been more apparent than during the last two years when learning and remote work made the need for increased broadband access even more apparent. High-speed fiber internet will increase technological capabilities for residents and businesses throughout the village,” he said.
“It has been one of my main focuses in reference to broadband within our county; to improve our economic footprint with businesses and our residents gaining access to a state-of-the-art connectivity. Many of our residents will have the ability to work from home, educate from home and even participate in telemedicine from home with symmetrical internet speeds. This is a huge boost in our fiber-to-the-homes project and once complete will position us leaps and bounds ahead of most counties within the state of Illinois.” Jim Kelly, Henry County Economic Development Director.
Construction is beginning this summer. When construction is complete, residents and businesses within these communities will have access to fully symmetrical speeds up to 1 Gigabit per second with unlimited data use. Customers within these markets will have the option to add streaming TV service as well as have the bandwidth to power multiple devices including home automation technologies. To learn more about this project visit www.fibermefast.com.
About Geneseo Communications, Henry County Telephone and Cambridge Telcom
Geneseo Communications, Henry County Telephone and Cambridge Telcom are recognized as Henry County’s leaders in high-speed internet and communication services providing data, voice, and managed services in local markets through their high-quality advanced network. These companies are committed to being a strong partner to the communities they serve.