Smithville Fiber $15 million GigaCity project on track, more than 3,200 Jasper homes now fiber-capable

JASPER – Completing this year’s construction, Smithville Fiber recently opened two new Jasper neighborhoods in December 2017, making high-speed gigabit fiber service and other products available to additional area residents. “We’re making great progress on this development – we recently mailed letters to Jasper residents in our two new ‘fiberhoods’ to let them know that high-speed fiber service was now available to them,” said Melissa Wright, Project Manager for the Smithville Fiber GigaCity project in Jasper.

Wright noted that initial customer feedback has been very positive, as customers experience the benefits of reliable high-speed fiber firsthand. “High-tech gigabit fiber service can positively simplify the lives of people living in Jasper and transform their homes and businesses with new entertainment and high-speed applications,” she added.

“We’re pleased that we already have more than 500 customers who are now receiving our fiber-based gigabit services,” said Wright. “We have 50 new customers on deck who will have fiber services installed soon and we expect that number to continue to rise.”

Begun in 2015, the $15 million Jasper GigaCity project passed its halfway point in its five-year project earlier in 2017. As of late December, more than 3,200 Jasper homes now have Smithville Fiber service available to them. That number will continue to increase as construction expands throughout the city. Eventually all of Jasper will have access to Smithville’s nationally recognized fiber service by the time the project is fully completed in 2019.

The Jasper project manager noted that construction of fiber splicing is now taking place in three areas on the east side of Jasper, primarily along Mill Street stretching north to just above 20th Street and all the way down to south of 6th Street. Construction also started in December within the area just east of the Schnitzel bank Restaurant on 3rd Street in Jasper.

Wright said that construction work is expected to continue through the winter, but may occasionally be delayed if there is more than two inches of snowfall and/or the ground freezes hard. “If adverse winter conditions come up, then the Smithville construction crews may take a short break until conditions improve,” Wright explained. “They will start up and continue as they are able to get machines through the local soil with as little muddy impact as possible.”