[1st-mile-nm] Kanab, Utah - FTTP

[Richard Lowenberg]

South Central Communications builds state-of-the-art fiber network in 
Kanab

Southern Utah News
January 28, 2016
http://www.sunews.net/article.cfm?articleID=1898

South Central Communications (SCC) is making a major investment in a 
state-of-the-art communications network that will provide a 100 percent 
fiber optic connection to every home, business, school, library, and 
government building in Kanab. When asked about the decision to invest in 
a fiber network, SCC President and CEO Michael East said, “We are making 
this investment because we believe it will contribute to the economic 
vitality of our community and allow us to serve this great place we call 
home with the best communications network available today.”

In addition to providing crystal clear voice calls, the new 100 percent 
fiber optic network has the tremendous benefit of providing 
exponentially greater bandwidth capacity to SCC’s Kanab network. By 
increasing overall network bandwidth capacity and removing all 
congestion, this allows SCC fiber customers access to higher internet 
speed packages which are being necessitated by the ever increasing 
number of internet enabled devices within the home (think tablets, TVs, 
set-top boxes, smart phones, game consoles, etc.)

According to East, “The number of Internet enabled devices inside the 
home has increased dramatically over the past two years. That trend is 
only going to continue as technology advances. At SCC, we have not only 
built a fiber network that is capable of handling today’s internet 
demand, but for decades into the future as well.”

East continued, “By way of example, as a result of the new fiber optic 
network, SCC’s speed packages have increased from a maximum of 50 Mbps 
(Megabits per second) to one Gbps (one Gigabit per second equals 1,000 
Megabits per second). And when customers start asking for internet 
speeds above one Gbps, it won’t be a problem on our network. All it will 
require is a change out of some electronics and the problem is solved.”

As everyone has seen with the SCC equipment and crews all throughout 
town, SCC is making tremendous progress on the fiber network build. 
Construction of the new fiber network began in 2015 and is scheduled to 
be completed by the end of 2016.  The project is being completed in 
phases. The phase locations and time frames are included on the 
accompanying map as well as billboard maps located in various locations 
around town. These maps will be updated as the fiber project progresses. 
Currently, main line construction is completed for phases 1 through 5. 
Once this main line construction is complete in your area, owners can 
schedule a time to connect their home or business to the fiber and begin 
benefiting from the greatly enhanced network.

According to SCC Public Relations Coordinator, Ebbi Hafen, “Connecting 
your home or business to the fiber network is free of charge. This will 
not always be the case. Once the fiber build is complete, SCC will be 
remobilizing their crews to our next community-wide fiber project. If 
you don’t connect your home to the fiber network now, we will of course 
bring equipment back to connect your home, but there will be an 
installation charge somewhere in the neighborhood of $200 to $300. With 
that in mind, I would strongly suggest everyone connect now while it is 
free. There is really no downside. You don’t even have to take the 
service, but it will increase the value of your home.”

East concluded by saying “We are excited to be bringing this fiber 
network to Kanab. I am excited about the tremendous and much needed 
opportunities it will provide.  Not the ability to stream and watch 10 
Netflix movies at a time, sure you can do that, but rather it’s the 
educational opportunities, and the improvements in healthcare that are 
available via the tele-health initiatives that I am excited about.  And 
we can’t forget about the hundreds, if not thousands of home-based jobs 
that are now available to people by virtue of having access to this new 
fiber network. I guess what I am saying is, I am excited about the 
opportunities for Kanab as a whole.”


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Richard Lowenberg, Executive Director
1st-Mile Institute     505-603-5200
Box 8001, Santa Fe, NM 87504,
rl at 1st-mile.org     www.1st-mile.org
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