Mid-Rivers constructed new fiber facilities to over 800 rural locations in the Lambert, Musselshell, North Ryegate, South Roundup, and South Wolf Point areas in 2023. All were locations that previously had poor or no broadband options. Our 2024 construction is well underway in rural Grass Range and Ekalaka, and will kick off in the rural Roy and Lindsay areas later this summer. This year’s construction goal is 800 miles of new fiber at an estimated cost of over $30 Million.
We are still in the process of moving customers built to in 2023 to the fiber plant, using the help of contract labor where possible to get these locations spliced and connected as quickly as we can.
Plowing fiber cable to each residence is only one step in an extensive process. Before customers can be moved to the new fiber lines, every mile of new fiber in the project area must be plowed, tested, approved, and released for final cutovers. New equipment consisting of an Optical Network Terminal (ONT) that plugs into a power outlet and a back-up battery are installed on the side of the building at each location. All the new fiber routes and equipment must also be tied back into new serving equipment in Fiber Serving Terminals and at the Cooperative’s Central Office.
It can take months from the time fiber is plowed for individual locations to be ready for fiber installation. As project areas are released, each subscriber is contacted individually by Mid-Rivers personnel to discuss any changes in services and schedule an installation date. There is no charge for the installation, and the standard back-up battery is included with your service subscription. Every customer is contacted, including telephone-only customers, since telephone services are also moved to the new fiber optic lines.
If you are in one of these areas and have questions about your fiber cutover, please contact us at 1-800-452-2288, live chat at www.midrivers.com, text 406-359-6887, or email customerservice@midrivers.coop.
