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built communications networks capable of
delivering gigabit broadband speeds.
To get you up to speed on this technology,
a gigabit (or Gig) is 1,000 Mbps, which is
100 times faster than the 10 Mbps service
currently used in many U.S. households.
With gigabit speeds, you can upload a 1 GB
file in just seconds, whereas with a 20 Mbps
connection, the same operation could take
several minutes. In addition, the quality of
streaming video and video conferencing is
greatly enhanced, enabling real-time
collaboration and the use of advanced
cloud-based applications.
RTC IS WORKING QUICKLY
ON OUR FIBER NETWORK
To make sure our member-owners and cus-
tomers — even those in remote areas — have
access to high speed Internet, RTC is investing
very aggressively in our fiber network. RTC
invested $13,000,000 in our plant infrastruc-
ture in 2015 and plans to invest $14,000,000
more in 2016. These large capital investments
are made possible through loan funds from
Rural Utilities Service, a division of the U.S.
Department of Agriculture that administers
programs providing much-needed infra-
structure or infrastructure improvements to
rural communities.
Due to this investment, RTC is able to bring
faster Internet speeds and enhanced video
services to new and existing subscribers. We
continue to build out our Fiber-to-the-Home
infrastructure at a rapid rate. At the present
time, 74 percent of our telephone subscribers,
79 percent of our Internet subscribers, and 85
percent of our video subscribers are served via
fiber. Those percentages will continue to rise as
we make the transition from copper-based ser-
vices to fiber-based services in additional areas.
JUST IMAGINE WHAT’S AHEAD
To understand the importance of building
fiber networks, it’s useful to look back at a
couple of other life-changing infrastruc-
ture projects. By 1900, much of our nation’s
railroad system was in place; it cleared the way
for the settlement of the West, provided new
economic opportunities, and stimulated the
development of communities. In the 1950s
and 1960s, the new Interstate Highway System
brought business to the towns it went through
while towns far from the new faster roads
struggled to survive. Today, fiber is becoming
as essential to business growth, and everyday
life in general, as railroad tracks and highways
were in the previous century.
When fiber networks come to smaller cities
and rural communities, such as those in RTC’s
service area, it helps level the playing field and
close the urban-rural technology gap. Existing
businesses can access the Internet speeds and
reliability needed to expand e-commerce.
Economic development organizations have
an easier time attracting new businesses. The
door is opened for telemedicine networks to
connect specialists to patients in remote areas.
And educational opportunities, once only
found in large schools, can now be delivered
to rural classrooms via online education.
THANKS FOR JOINING
US ON THE JOURNEY
We greatly appreciate your confidence in
RTC and your choice of us to be your pro-
vider. No matter where you hope to go with
your family or business, know that RTC will
supply the advanced technology and local
customer service to get you there. Together,
we’ll take “A Fast Flight to the Future.”
A gigabit (or Gig) is 1,000 Mbps,
which is 100 times faster than the
10 Mbps service currently used
in many U.S. households.