No, there is no cost to UDWI customers for this project. IF members decide to take the fiber service, it will be through Mainstream fiber and billed directly from Mainstream.

This project allows UDWI and Mainstream to work together to bring fiber internet service more quickly and efficiently in common service areas. Building fiber in rural areas is costly. By partnering, each company can leverage its assets, lowering the cost of building fiber in hard-to-serve rural areas of the region.

Grant funding will dictate where the project will start, however this project intends to provide fiber-to-the-home across UDWI’s entire service area.

All homes included in the first construction area will be notified by UDWI and Mainstream in advance of construction. Information and maps will also be included on the UDWI website as well as Mainstream’s website.

In 2020, Indiana announced the second round of the Next Level Connections Broadband grant program, which awarded $51 million for 50 broadband infrastructure expansion projects across the state. UDWI and Mainstream will continue to apply for these grants to help offset construction costs.

The construction costs will not increase electric rates for UDWI members.

All customers within the construction area will be notified in advance of construction and service availability, which is expected to begin in the spring of 2024. As the project continues, UDWI and Mainstream will provide more information on the specific timeframe. The entire project is expected to take five years to complete.

Getting fiber to an area can be tricky and expensive, especially in places with tough landscapes, fewer people, or not much existing equipment. Mainstream’s design team looks at unserved and underserved areas with routes that require the least amount of preparation for construction and to allow critical services along the route – such as cell towers.

The goal is to eventually offer every home without access to current fiber internet with the option to connect to fiber through this partnership with Mainstream. The progress of this project will rely on continued grant funding and the time needed for construction across the service territory.

The first phase of the project is a loop around Greene County that will allow future expansion.

Phase 1 includes areas along a preliminary route, as the exact locations are still being finalized. Once the design is approved, updated maps will be issued, and more areas will be confirmed as part of Phase 1.

The initial loop is expected to be completed by the end of 2025.

Timing for other phases will be dependent on grant funding from the state, but multiple projects can happen concurrently. 

Mainstream’s design team looks at (statistics on unserved / underserved areas), routes that require the least amount of preparation for construction, and to allow critical services along the route – such as cell towers.