CHATHAM -- It seems like just yesterday President Obama made his much anticipated trip to the U.P. In his speech at NMU, he commended the community for utilizing the Internet to bring our vast borders closer together.
"We want to multiply your story all over the country, we want to invest in the next generation of high speed wireless coverage for 98 percent of Americans," said President Obama.
Well, the President may be happy to hear that he got a step closer to that goal today...this time, in Alger County.
"It's going to open the doors for a lot of our people to be able to work from home, have a lot of the advantages of using the Internet for the many services it provides," says Dave Moore of TDS in Chatham.
TDS Telecommunications was granted $8.6 million from the federal government to bring broadband Internet to over 900 unserviced homes, primarily in Alger County.
Only 25 percent of area residents currently have Internet, some have low speed versions, like dial-up.
TDS broke ground today in Chatham for the construction of the outside plant for the new broadband system. Construction crews began by creating four foot plow lines that will go 116 miles around the community. The plow lines are burying fiber optic cables which they will then run the broadband lines through, but that's just the first phase.
"There's 35 sites that we will touch, 28 of those or 29 of those sites are electronic equipment that will be placed on pads in boxes in rural areas, and you'll see them as they drive around," says Project Manager Joe Kirk.
TDS in Chatham will house the electronics that will connect the cables to its customers. They expect to have the project completed by May of 2012.
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Remember the 2009 Federal Stimulus Plan?
Some of those dollars are coming to the U.P. in a grant for rural broadband Internet service.
The $8.6 million is primarily for Alger County and some 900 homes and businesses. It will vastly improve their Internet service.
On Tuesday afternoon, ground was broken for the project by TDS Telecommunications.
CEO David Witner says he's thrilled to start the company's first expansion stimulus project.
"There's a lot of planning, there's a tremendous amount of work that goes on, getting permits and a variety of other things," said Witner. "But you know, to actually see the construction start, you know to really see the work starting, that's really exciting. It's really exciting for our customers."
TDS plans to complete the project by May 2013.
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