rural broadband

RS Fiber Nominated for the FHBDM Strong Communities Award

September 14, 2016 By Dave Dicke •

Winthrop, MN – RS Fiber Cooperative (RS Fiber) is one of three finalists for the Federal Home Loan Bank of Des Moines (FHLBDM) Strong Communities Award in the rural category.

As a finalist, RS Fiber will advance to a public vote on September 19-30 that will serve as one component of the selection process.

“It is very humbling to have RS Fiber nominated for such an award”, said RS Fiber General Manager Toby Brummer. “This project has attracted a lot of attention since it started, because it is rare for a company to build a high-speed fiber optic broadband network in rural America. We are looking forward to providing our current and future customers with access to gigabit speed services.”

The public is encouraged to cast their vote for RS Fiber online at www.fhlbforcommunity.com. The winner will be announced in October.

About us: RS Fiber Cooperative is a community driven effort to deliver a high-speed fiber-optic connection to Sibley County and portions of Renville, Nicollet, and McLeod Counties. The project will bring fiber-optic Internet, Video, and Phone services to ten cities and seventeen townships. The RS Fiber mission is: “To provide each and every customer with an exceptional service experience that you can only expect to receive from a local business, while providing you with access to the benefits of the most advanced fiber optic network in the US”.

For additional information, or to schedule an interview, please contact David Dicke at david.dicke@rsfiber.coop or call 507-474-5884.

PBS to Feature RS Fiber Cooperative

June 20, 2016 By Dave Dicke •

Winthrop, MN – A television crew from the PBS program Newshour/Weekend was in Winthrop and Gaylord this week gathering interviews for what will become a segment on broadband in rural America and feature RS Fiber.

PBS spent Monday visiting with members of the RS Fiber Board of Directors along with business and residential customers to learn how RS Fiber’s high-speed fiber-optic network is making a difference in their businesses and personal lives.

When contacting RS Fiber, segment producer Zachary Green said he was doing a story on the lack of high-speed internet in rural communities when he came across the work that is being done in Renville and Sibley counties and the RS Fiber Cooperative. He said he wanted to learn more about the cooperative model being used to fund the project and the affect high-speed broadband access is having on businesses and the overall quality of life of area residents.

The segment is scheduled to air as part of the July 3 Newshour/Weekend program and can be seen on TPT Life, RS Fiber channel 203.

About us: RS Fiber Cooperative is a community driven effort to deliver a high-speed fiber-optic connection to Sibley County and portions of Renville, Nicollet, and McLeod Counties. The project is bringing fiber-optic Internet, Video, and Phone services to ten cities and seventeen townships. The RS Fiber mission is: “To provide each and every customer with an exceptional service experience that you can only expect to receive from a local business, while providing you with access to the benefits of the most advanced fiber optic network in the US”.

For additional information, please contact David Dicke at david.dicke@rsfiber.coop or call 507-474-5884.

RS Fiber Plans to Expand Network in 2016

April 14, 2016 By Dave Dicke •

(For Immediate Release 4/14/2016)

Winthrop, MN – RS Fiber Cooperative (RS Fiber) has begun the 2016 construction season with plans to expand the fiber-optic broadband network that was activated last year in parts of Renville and Sibley Counties.

Work began last week in Green Isle on the final portion of Phase 1 construction. By the end of 2016, RS Fiber hopes to expand its state-of-the-art Fiber-To-The-Premises (FTTP) network to several additional communities.

“We are really excited to get construction underway for this year,” said RS Fiber General Manager, Toby Brummer. “Our goal is to begin offering services to eight more communities by the end of 2016.”

Those communities include Brownton, Buffalo Lake, Fairfax, Gibbon, Green Isle, Lafayette, New Auburn, and Stewart.

During the project’s initial construction phase last year, the network’s backbone was built to RS Fiber facilities in Winthrop and extended to Gaylord. Internet and Video services were launched this past November in Winthrop with service installations currently taking place in Gaylord.

When the entire FTTP project is completed in 2021, the network will bring high-speed Internet service to 10 cities and 17 townships in Renville and Sibley Counties.

In addition to the FTTP network, RS Fiber also began construction of its rural broadband service, RS Air, which delivers Internet service via tower-mounted antennas. The network currently consists of eight towers with additional sites expected to be added this year.

For additional information, or to schedule an interview, please contact David Dicke at david.dicke@rsfiber.coop or call (507) 474-5884.

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