MIDTEL implementing a $8.5M Fiber To The Home (FTTH) Investment in Schoharie County
FTTH a game changer for High-Speed Internet, as well as video and voice services
MIDDLEBURGH, N.Y. — MIDTEL announced today that it will make more than $8.5M in additional investments in its Fiber To The Home (FTTH) deployments in Schoharie County.
As part of Phase 2 of the New NY Broadband Program, MIDTEL will install fiber optic cable directly to homes and businesses in portions of the towns of Broome, Blenheim, Carlisle, Cobleskill, Conesville, Fulton, Gilboa, Jefferson, Middleburgh, Richmondville, Schoharie, Summit and Wright. Construction will commence this summer for the mainline routes and be ready for customer drops in a phased approach starting mid to late 2018.
The broadband network build out will include over 300 miles of new mainline fiber routes and the enabling of fiber drops to nearly 1600 homes and businesses. “We are significantly investing in new technology and our network infrastructure, allowing us to provide much faster and even more reliable broadband and other services to rural New York households and businesses in Schoharie County. The increased capacity and reliability is especially important for families with multiple simultaneous Internet devices and small business owners.” says Jason Becker, Senior Vice President and General Manager of MIDTEL.
In 2016 MIDTEL announced its Phase 1 FTTH investment of over $6.9M, and in combination the two network investments will exceed $15M, with over 600 miles of new fiber construction, enabling fiber drops to 3,750 homes and businesses in Schoharie County. These additions will bring MIDTEL’s fiber network miles to over 800 miles in total, with the majority of it being in Schoharie County.
“This is a game changer, as FTTH connections are the only technology with enough bandwidth to reliably and cost effectively handle projected consumer demands for the upcoming 15 to 20 years”, says Jim Becker, President of MIDTEL. Becker also commented, “Without the New NY Broadband Program, and Governor Cuomo’s recognition of the importance of broadband infrastructure and the economic challenges of providing these services in rural areas, these solutions would not be available.”
MIDTEL has already begun fiber construction for its Phase 1 project and is hopeful to begin activating services to homes and businesses later this year. To find out if your address is in either of the fiber build out areas, go to www.midtel.net and click on “CHECK FIBER AVAILBILITY” on the right-hand side.