Montgomery based RTC Communications announced Thursday it will be bring the latest fiber technology to Washington’s businesses and residents.
“This is a wonderful day,” said Kirk Lehman, CEO of RTC Communications, in front of a crowd gathered at the Washington City Council Chambers Thursday morning, who said the service provider will be building a network that could rival those in much larger metropolitan areas and will provide faster and more reliable service.
RTC, Lehman said, is prepared to build the lightning-fast network in all areas of Washington thanks to support from the past.
“Because of the strong support we’ve had, we are able to embark on this,” he said. “In 2017, the Daviess County Economic Development Corporation came to us wanting to get fiber for M&C Tech. We knew we could do it, but we wanted to make sure we could offer the same service.”
Now, that same service will be open to the whole community. Lehman said construction plans will be based on the interest received in each of the 29 fiberhoods. Each fiberhood can service 233 households.
“The more people who sign up in a neighborhood, the sooner we will be able to get started there,” said Lehman, who said those interested in having RTC’s leading edge technologies can signup online at fiber2myhome.com and fill out the form. “Tell your neighbors.”
Several businesses, including several of the businesses near the industrial park, already receive service from RTC.
“RTC’s investment in Washington is a milestone for enhancing quality of life in the community while also adding to our competitive advantages for future growth and investment,” said Daviess County Economic Development Executive Director Bryant Niehoff.
The $12 million investment Lehman said will lay 92.4 miles of fiber for the network that will always be up and running.
“This is really exciting news and this is a really exciting time,” said Washington Mayor Joe Wellman. “When I first became mayor about eight years ago, it was all about infrastructure and now it’s about this too. It’s a quality of life and quality of place.”
Lehman said the technologies RTC will use will make new community and communications-based initiatives such as telehealth, telelearning, telemedicine possible. Even more than offering those new technologies, Lehman said the new network comes with some other perks too.
Research, Lehman said, also shows that having fiber to the home can increase the value of real estate by around $5,400.
RTC will privately fund the project, which is expected to be completed about two years after construction.
“This new network leverages RTC’s 70-year heritage and experience and is a natural extension of our service in a contiguous trading area. This is good for business, government and residents of the city in the short and longterm,” said Lehman.
For more information on RTC’s fiber project, visit www.fiber2myhome.com.
