CDE Lightband, a non-profit agency of Clarksville, Tenn., has announced the completion of a 960-mile fiber optic network for the town. The 54,000 citizens will be able to get TV and broadband Internet through the completed network; there's smart grid technology on tap too. Phone service is expected to be implemented later.
A power company as well as a telecommunications entity, CDE also will use the fiber network to remotely read and connect or disconnect meters. The agency initially expected to have 10,000 signed up by the summer, but now has said it hopes to have around 5,500 customers by June and 10,000 customers by the end of the calendar year. Currently, CDE has around 3,300 customers and averages between 400 to 500 new customers per month. A basic TV package starts at $14.95 per month while a high-end bundle with broadband and 148 TV channels is priced at $79.95 per month.
CDE needs around 10,000 customers to get to break even. It has issued a total of $62 million in bonds for the project.
For more:
- Leaf Chronicle reports on local fiber build.
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