Dumont Telephone plans fiber internet expansion to parts of rural Franklin County

Dumont Telephone will soon use grant money allocated through COVID-19 relief to expand its fiber internet service to areas of rural Franklin County.

In July, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds announced the State of Iowa would make $50 million available for broadband expansion across the state through federal CARES Act funding.

In a tweet announcing the funding, Reynolds reasoned the funding by the importance of broadband availability in all parts of the state as healthcare, jobs and education are all now being done from home in large numbers.

Roger Kregel, Dumont Telephone General Manager, said that the company applied for a portion of the grant and used a map that showed where broadband is needed in rural Iowa to determine where they could expand fiber service. Kregel said they selected a stretch west from Geneva to Highway 65, stretching north to 110th Street and over to Olive Avenue in the Hickory Hills area.

“We chose those areas because from the state’s broadband map that shows coverage in Iowa, that was the closest to where we currently provide service where the map shows that people don’t have quality service,” he said. “We wanted to to reach that cluster of homes.”

Kregel added that the project has roughly 30 potential customers.

Along with the grant money, Dumont Telephone will be spending $150,000 to $200,000 of its own funds to complete the project.

Once Dumont Telephone secured the grant, Kregel said the company began mailing information to customers on the route who are eligible for the upgraded service. He said he’s already heard enthusiasm regarding the project, as reliable internet has become even more of a necessity since the pandemic began.

“Everyone needs and uses broadband,” he said. “It’s a part of our lives like gas and water and other utilities and if you don’t have it, you’re kind of behind the 8 ball.”

In order to receive the service, customers must give permission to install afiber optic lines to their homes and must provide a $500 deposit.

Kregel said that language in the grant dictates that the project must be completed by the end of the year and he anticipates the fiber to be installed by October or November.

“The project is small enough to get done by then and our contractors could do it in a reasonable timeframe,” he said. “That’s why we chose this size and the location of it.”