Mediacom Campaigns In Iowa For Rural Broadband

Author: 
Coverage Type: 

Mediacom Communications campaigned in Iowa for a proposal to obtain government funding for a pilot program that could help bring high-speed broadband to more Iowa farms.

Dan Templin, senior vice president of the cable company’s Mediacom Business unit, appeared at the 2014 Connect Iowa Broadband Summit in Arkeny, Iowa, and plugged a proposal that’s been made by Mediacom and Deere & Co, better known as farm-equipment supplier John Deere.

In March, they pitched the Federal Communications Commission on a plan to help farmers better exploit the advanced technology of their farming equipment by spreading high-speed broadband to underserved areas of the state.

The companies’ March proposal seeks $800,000 in total for pilot programs in Audubon and Carroll counties. The money as proposed would come from the Connect America Fund, which takes former Universal Service Fund money and reallocates it from phone-service support into capital for rural broadband projects. Money from Mediacom or other sources would provide at least 20% of the funding needed for the project, the company said.

In the FCC filing, Mediacom said after it extended fiber lines into the counties, it would “provide retail Wi-Fi service to farms, small businesses and residences over the distributed antenna system at speeds up to approximately 50 Mbps down by 5 Mbps up for approximately $30-80 per month. The Mediacom-provided retail Wi-Fi would support Internet and broadband data services and voice services.


Mediacom Campaigns In Iowa For Rural Broadband