We’re committed to enriching the lives of Hoosiers and communities through a reliable connection while ensuring Smithville’s viability for the future so that we can continue this mission.

Monitor our progress on our Fiber Build Map to find out when fiber will be available in your area. Areas in red are the following areas on our list for expansion. Green areas are locations where Fiber construction is underway. When we’ve identified and scheduled an area for Fiber, we’ll notify all residents by mail when we’re ready to start construction.

The location we choose depends on several factors, including the potential cost for construction and engineering, the density of potential subscribers to offset fixed costs, required permits, and the area.
Follow Smithville on Facebook, Instagram, and X for Fiber updates about where we’re currently working and announcements when new Fiber areas are ready for people to sign up.

Our fiber network has locations called cabinets where fiber strands meet. Each cabinet serves a specific number of homes and lots. Once we decide which area to connect, we switch all homes and lots in that cabinet from copper wire (DSL Internet) to fiber optic (Fiber Internet), regardless of whether residents currently subscribe to our DSL service. They will have access to Fiber Internet once the project finishes.

Our engineering team designs the fiber network to reach potential homes, including unoccupied lots, so that the network is ready when structures are built. This enables new homeowners to obtain internet access more quickly. Since we are already upgrading equipment in the area, this approach saves time and costs, helping us keep Hoosiers connected.

When builders plan a new development in a “green field,” they usually contact utility companies first to install underground water, sewer lines, and fiber internet cables before construction begins. This enables companies like Smithville to work efficiently without obstacles (unlike a “brownfield”), and it helps developers ensure that future homes and businesses will have access to Smithville Fiber Internet.

There are a few reasons why someone might be outside our Fiber Internet service range, including government boundaries and network performance issues.

As a telecommunications company, we follow the Federal Communications Commission’s guidelines for determining whether we are an incumbent local exchange carrier (ILEC) or a competitive local exchange carrier (CLEC). The FCC sets service area boundary lines.

We design and build our network by considering each cabinet area to ensure optimized network performance. Before we add more subscribers to a cabinet, we consider the following criteria:

— Age of equipment
— Number of subscribers on the equipment
— Geographical makeup of the area
— Aerial or buried fiber cabling
— Special permitting requirements (railroad, DNR, highway, etc.)
— Capacity limits of servicing equipment

Naturally, there will be a boundary between where one cabinet’s service ends and another begins. Sometimes, these borders are between homes and streets.

Like other utilities, such as water, sewage, or electricity, fiber internet is installed through underground or pole-mounted networks. When we upgrade fiber in a Smithville DSL area, we must follow the existing planned route. This means that fiber availability depends on our current network locations.

Smithville is not presently accepting individual requests to extend fiber to a single residence due to resource constraints on other fiber expansion projects and because it is more cost-effective to serve multiple homes rather than a single residence.

Occasionally, homeowners’ associations or neighborhood residents will ask Smithville to assess their area for fiber availability in a DSL zone. We respond to these group requests on a case-by-case basis.

Individually, please submit your interest in Smithville Fiber Internet by providing us with your address. We routinely monitor these requests. We’ll notify you by US Postal Mail when we’re ready to begin construction in your area.

Since we started offering residential Fiber Internet in 2008, we’ve expanded our network to several thousand homes — and we still have room to grow!

Our goal is to bring the tremendous benefit of Fast Fiber Internet to DSL subscribers. From time to time, Smithville may encounter unexpected project delays that impact planned timelines. If you have a specific inquiry, please don’t hesitate to contact us. We also routinely update our fiber build status map on our website.

Smithville is intentional about its construction and delivery decisions. Several factors are considered when determining where to expand our fiber footprint.

Rest assured, Smithville continues expanding into new service areas while upgrading our current DSL customers to fiber-optic service. We’re also improving our DSL network by increasing internet speeds with E3 technology in select locations. With continued expansion, we are also upgrading our network. We recently completed a second 100-gigabit link to Chicago, further enhancing the reliability of our residential and commercial services.

We have witnessed the value of fiber enhancing the quality of place in communities. We remain committed to expanding our fiber network so that even more Hoosiers can connect to what matters most. We appreciate your patience throughout this process.

Smithville is committed to providing a sustainable service for years to come. Due to the costs and resources required to bring Fast Fiber Internet to new areas, we are thoughtful about where to expand our fiber network next.

Here are just a few factors that affect our decision about expanding our Fiber Internet network:

— Costs (including construction and engineering)
— Length of fiber cable required
— Subscriber Density
— Consumer demand

As a telecommunications company, we are guided by the boundaries set by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). We have customers that are “in territory” where we’re authorized to serve them. We also have customers who are “out of territory,” meaning they live outside our primary service area. Presently, we are focusing on upgrading our in-territory areas by adding E3 technology or converting copper cable wire to fiber optic cable to increase internet speeds and better serve our customers. 

Since being among the first to deploy commercial fiber developments in the early 1990s, Smithville has invested more than a quarter of a billion dollars in private funds to construct fiber networks for Hoosier homes, businesses, educational institutions, hospitals, cities, and other organizations. Smithville is not currently pursuing grants.

We’re excited about the upcoming large construction projects and want to keep you informed! Many factors can influence the timeline, making precise estimates tricky. Once we start construction, we’ll share our best estimate with residents in the area. We appreciate your understanding, as timelines may adjust along the way. Together, we can navigate this journey to build something wonderful.

Here are just a few factors that might impact a project:
— Geographical makeup of the area
— Weather
— Local permitting requirements
— Unknown construction delays, such as delays in equipment/resource delivery and easement acquisition
— Budget allocations

To see the status of a fiber project, check out our Fiber Build Status Map.

We offer DSL Internet plans to customers on our established copper wire network, as it helps keep more Hoosiers connected, particularly in underserved rural areas. We are working to update our network to increase speeds in our DSL areas and install a fiber optic line for Fast Fiber Internet in these areas in the future.

We have already improved our DSL network with new equipment to increase speed and run fiber optic cables to the DSL network servicing equipment with E3 technology. Since it takes time to convert our DSL plan customers to our Fiber Internet network, improving the current experience of our DSL customers is one of our priorities.

Thank you for continuing to choose Smithville. We want to reassure you that improving your experience is essential and something we carefully consider as we determine areas for upgrade. We’re currently updating our DSL infrastructure in select regions with E3 technology, which increases internet speeds. Check our fiber build map to track progress, and you will be notified via US Postal mail when construction is scheduled in your area.

Technology changes over time. Our copper DSL network does not offer the same speed and reliability as our fiber network. When we complete a fiber conversion build in a DSL area, the copper technology becomes non-functional. To continue having a phone line with Smithville, the equipment and cable line to the building must be upgraded to the new technology.

At Smithville, we’re working to bring Hoosiers the latest technology that simplifies and improves service. You’ll benefit from more stable phone services on fiber optics versus copper wire.

Smithville is committed to transparent, steady pricing. Occasionally, we may update our rates to offset rising costs across all markets, including energy, materials, and operational expenses, as well as investments in infrastructure upgrades. To continue meeting your expectations and delivering high-quality service, we must adjust our rates to reflect the rising costs.