MONROE - By the end of 2012, TDS plans to have customers within the city of Monroe connected and ready for super high speed data service.
One part of that plan got underway Wednesday at the city's Plan Commission meeting, where TDS requested sites at three public locations for utility cabinets to help the company deliver super high speed Internet services.
TDS is also seeking three private agreements with property owners, for a total of six cabinets that will be installed.
TDS will install beige, metal utility cabinets in the neighborhoods of Ridgeway Road in the northeast section of the city; Sunset Park on 3rd Avenue; Twining Park at 2nd Street and 12th Avenue; 21st Street and 4th Avenue West; Parkside School; and Monroe Clinic.
These cabinets, about 20 feet by 20 feet, allows TDS to offer services at super high speed of 50 mbps (megabits per second) or higher, as well as future products like fiber optic television.
The Plan Commission voted unanimously to recommend city council approval of the easements on the city properties at Ridgeway Road and the two parks. The city will received a one-time compensation payment of $1,000 per site. In its motion, the commission signified one of those payments would go to the Parks and Recreation Department for the space that will be used within Sunset Park. The fiber optic lines to the cabinets will be buried.
Brandon Baird, a TDS property acquisition agent with MI-Tech Services, Inc., said Wednesday he had already obtained easements on two of the three private properties, as well.
The technology being deployed in these neighborhoods is called "Fiber to the Node" or "Fiber to the Curb," according to DeAnne Boegli, a national spokesperson for TDS Telecommunications Corp.
"Basically, TDS brings fiber optics to the cabinet, and then the technology at that site transfers data to the existing copper facilities (landlines) already in place at the home. This allows TDS to get the high speeds and high data capacity to the home without disturbing the homeowner's site," she said.
Once the construction is complete, it will not automatically increase the speeds of existing services. Customers will be transferred to new equipment when they sign up for new advanced service products to get the higher speeds.
A full Fiber-to-the-Home installation project will also be underway later this year in four areas of the city not impacted by the current six cabinet installations.
"Once that's complete, we'll have achieved our goal of 100 percent within the city limits," said Boegli.
"All of the investments in technology infrastructure will be very beneficial to the people living in the Monroe community. High speed data is the future and Monroe will soon be as connected as any major city."
Boegli said these two Monroe projects are not funded by any of the stimulus funds TDS received. Projects funded by the stimulus grants will start this spring also, outside of the city limit areas, and TDS will provide more information on those projects soon.
One part of that plan got underway Wednesday at the city's Plan Commission meeting, where TDS requested sites at three public locations for utility cabinets to help the company deliver super high speed Internet services.
TDS is also seeking three private agreements with property owners, for a total of six cabinets that will be installed.
TDS will install beige, metal utility cabinets in the neighborhoods of Ridgeway Road in the northeast section of the city; Sunset Park on 3rd Avenue; Twining Park at 2nd Street and 12th Avenue; 21st Street and 4th Avenue West; Parkside School; and Monroe Clinic.
These cabinets, about 20 feet by 20 feet, allows TDS to offer services at super high speed of 50 mbps (megabits per second) or higher, as well as future products like fiber optic television.
The Plan Commission voted unanimously to recommend city council approval of the easements on the city properties at Ridgeway Road and the two parks. The city will received a one-time compensation payment of $1,000 per site. In its motion, the commission signified one of those payments would go to the Parks and Recreation Department for the space that will be used within Sunset Park. The fiber optic lines to the cabinets will be buried.
Brandon Baird, a TDS property acquisition agent with MI-Tech Services, Inc., said Wednesday he had already obtained easements on two of the three private properties, as well.
The technology being deployed in these neighborhoods is called "Fiber to the Node" or "Fiber to the Curb," according to DeAnne Boegli, a national spokesperson for TDS Telecommunications Corp.
"Basically, TDS brings fiber optics to the cabinet, and then the technology at that site transfers data to the existing copper facilities (landlines) already in place at the home. This allows TDS to get the high speeds and high data capacity to the home without disturbing the homeowner's site," she said.
Once the construction is complete, it will not automatically increase the speeds of existing services. Customers will be transferred to new equipment when they sign up for new advanced service products to get the higher speeds.
A full Fiber-to-the-Home installation project will also be underway later this year in four areas of the city not impacted by the current six cabinet installations.
"Once that's complete, we'll have achieved our goal of 100 percent within the city limits," said Boegli.
"All of the investments in technology infrastructure will be very beneficial to the people living in the Monroe community. High speed data is the future and Monroe will soon be as connected as any major city."
Boegli said these two Monroe projects are not funded by any of the stimulus funds TDS received. Projects funded by the stimulus grants will start this spring also, outside of the city limit areas, and TDS will provide more information on those projects soon.