UDWI REMC, SCI REMC Connect Members in Phase One of Fiber Partnership
9:06PM August 08, 2023
BLOOMFIELD and MARTINSVILLE, Ind. (Aug. 8, 2023) – The
Utilities District of Western Indiana REMC (UDWI) and South Central Indiana
REMC (SCI REMC) fiber partnership is ready to connect the first group of homes
and businesses in the north-central portions of UDWI’s territory.
In
2021, the two companies began working together to bring gigabit broadband
internet service to around 200 unserved homes in the Freedom, Indiana area. A
project map of the specific service boundaries can be viewed below. Those
located in the service area are encouraged to sign up for SCI’s broadband services if they have not already.
“We are grateful for SCI’s collaboration on this
initiative and hope to see even more opportunities for fiber partnerships
emerge as we all continue to recognize the need for connectivity in our rural
areas,” said UDWI CEO Doug Childs. “Providing members with access to
high-speed, reliable internet is a top co-op priority.”
SCI
REMC leveraged existing middle-mile fiber assets and partnered with UDWI to
attach to their existing pole plant, allowing SCI to provide internet service
in the most economical and expedient manner possible.
In
2020, Indiana announced the second round of the Next Level Connections
Broadband grant program, which awarded $51 million for 50 broadband
infrastructure expansion projects across the state. SCI REMC was awarded two
grants from the program and utilized one of those grants to assist in building
fiber in this joint venture. This partnership is expected to expand to
additional unserved homes and businesses in the future.
“SCI REMC understands the positive impact of affordable,
reliable, high-speed internet on rural communities, and we are proud to be
working with UDWI on this initiative,” said James Tanneberger, president and
CEO of SCI REMC. "We are grateful for the funding opportunities that have
made this project possible and look forward to connecting the first UDWI
members very soon."
To
verify service availability for a specific address, members can visit https://join.sciremc.com. If the address is not currently eligible, SCI
will collect the member’s contact information and alert them as soon as the
service is available.
In
addition, members in areas not included in this fiber partnership are
encouraged to apply to the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs Indiana
Connectivity Program,
which aims to connect residents and businesses that lack
access to broadband internet service with service providers and assist in the
expense of extending broadband to those locations. Owners of residential and
business locations unserved or underserved can apply for consideration by
entering their information into the Next Level Connections portal to initiate
their interest in receiving broadband internet service. More information is
available on OCRA’s website.
For more information about UDWI and SCI’s fiber
partnership, visit UDWI’s website.
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About
Utilities District of Western Indiana (UDWI) REMC: Utilities District of Western Indiana REMC is a
non-profit organization engaged principally in the distribution and sale of
electricity in Greene and parts of Clay, Daviess, Lawrence, Martin, Monroe,
Owen, Putnam, Knox, Sullivan, and Vigo counties in Indiana. For more
information, please visit https://www.udwiremc.com/.
About South Central Indiana (SCI) REMC: SCI REMC (South Central Indiana REMC) is a not-for-profit electric distribution cooperative in south-central Indiana serving over 29,000 homes and businesses in Morgan, Monroe, Owen, Brown, and parts of Putnam, Clay, and Johnson counties. SCI REMC was established in 1939 and is owned and operated by the members they serve.
SCI Fiber was launched in 2018 and offers residential
and business telecommunication services. SCI Fiber has nearly 10,000
subscribers with 2,269 miles of mainline and distribution fiber in place. For
more information, please visit www.sciremc.com.