LAWERNCE CO. – Lawrence County Commissioners announced that they have awarded a portion of ARPA funds to RTC Communications to expand fiber broadband to residents and businesses of rural western Lawrence County.
“The need for broadband fiber continues to be a necessity in our rural communities, and RTC Communications is making it a mission to ensure our southern Indiana communities continue to receive these world-class services” stated Kirk Lehman, RTC Communications’ CEO. “We were honored to be awarded these funds from Lawrence County and look forward to providing services that are second to none, but it is only a portion of what it’ll take to reach all homes and businesses with fiber internet. RTC Communications will need to financially contribute equally to these ARPA funds to reach everyone who needs access to fiber internet.”
RTC’s Fiber-to-the-Premise (FTTP) network expansion utilizes advanced technologies necessary to bring new community and communications-based initiatives to reality, such as continued support from county economic development committees, business expansion, eLearning, telehealth, and teleworking.
Once the network is deployed, community members will have access to 1 Gig synchronous broadband speed, advanced communications, robust network management tools, redundancy, and impressive IT services.
RTC’s upcoming Lawrence County build will deploy lightning-fast fiber to portions of the surrounding rural markets.
“If you are a rural resident and not part of our current fiber builds, know we are continuing to aggressively identify and submit grant applications and strategic community partnerships, along with other initiatives, to ensure all residents are served throughout Daviess, Martin, and Lawrence Counties,” said Lehman.
Currently, RTC is fast-tracking engineering, planning, and pre-construction plans to have portions of Lawrence County, and the planned 1600 residents and businesses in the area designated by this project, up and on our fiber network in late 2023.
Residents and businesses of Lawrence County will soon be able to see the areas we’ll be building with this first round of ARPA funds on our website www.rtccom.com.
“We’re excited to grow this partnership with RTC Communications in our endeavor to bring fiber internet to our area. We’ve been nothing but pleased with the partnership and look forward to future opportunities and growth,” said Commissioner President Dustin Gabhart. The unanimous vote to award a portion of ARPA funds to a utility like broadband internet is vital to the economic growth and development of Lawrence County. The award of these funds, along with the investment of RTC, is a milestone for enhancing the quality of life in the area while also adding to our county’s competitive advantage for future growth and investments.”
“Lawrence County is home for me, and to see broadband being brought to this underserved area not only brings me joy but know, it’s just the start for us at RTC. Our plans to seek and serve those who need our services is our priority,” states David Redman, Board Member President for RTC Communications.
“We are here to ‘change lives one connection at a time by connecting you to what matters most’ and committed to being the area’s premier communications provider,” stated Lehman. This new network leverages RTC’s nearly 75-year heritage and experience and is a natural extension of their service in a contiguous trading area. “We (RTC Communications) promise that we will never stop seeking ways to improve and innovate products and services for the communities we serve with smiles on our faces.”
RTC Communications is an internet, residential telephone service provider, and business communications system provider based in Montgomery, Indiana, and has been servicing areas of Lawrence County for nearly 75 years. As a member-owned cooperative, the direction and operation of the organization are driven by its members through the elected Board Of Directors. RTC Communications currently services customers in Daviess, Martin, Lawrence, and Knox counties in Indiana.
