Circle Fiber installed its 1,000th fiber connection Tuesday, two years after approaching the Poplar Bluff City Council about creating a “gigabyte” community.
The company has had a slight delay with the back order of equipment, due to the number of new connections, said Kevin Cantwell of Circle Fiber.
“This is not something that gets done overnight,” he shared with the council. “This is basically putting a new infrastructure into the city.”
Among the issues the company has dealt with is that not all city easements are owned by the city, but rather by property owners.
Cantwell thanked the city and community partners for their help.
“Our goal has been to be good stewards and to deploy this without causing any issues or concerns,” Cantwell said.
A key has been working with the Poplar Bluff Housing Authority, he said.
Circle Fiber is in the process of finishing up extending fiber access to 576 units at Hillcrest and Wilson complexes.
“This is giving them access to tools to help improve their lives,” he said. “A key thing has been working with the housing authority to get that done.”
Circle Fiber has also followed through with commitments made to invest in the community, Cantwell said, including opening a retail location in Poplar Bluff, hiring locally, and moving forward with community outreach efforts.
“Fiber is the foundation for the future,” he said. “That is the basis for the next generation of technology.”