Groundbreaking ceremony held for Midco's project in Jamestown
Jun. 8—JAMESTOWN — Future customers of Midcontinent Communications can expect to get 5-gigabit-per-second symmetrical internet for homes and even faster speeds for businesses, according to Steve Mattern, vice president of field operations.
With a symmetrical internet plan, customers will have the ability to have upload speeds that are just as fast as download speeds.
"We also provide a robust home Wi-Fi product," Mattern said at a groundbreaking ceremony Thursday, June 8, for Midco's project. "We also provide IPTV video services, phone services. Then we have advertising available, data center space as well as advanced private networking."
Jamestown was the largest community in the Dakotas that Midco did not provide service at, said Justin Forde, vice president of government relations for Midco.
"We really wanted to make sure that everybody across our footprint had access and the opportunity to get that Midco connection," he said.
Mayor Dwaine Heinrich said the Jamestown Area Chamber of Commerce in the '90s was the driving force behind the creation of the Jamestown/Stutsman Development Corp.
"This positive glass-is-half-full thinking paved the way for a power plant, a potato processing plant, an ethanol plant, North Dakota's first soybean crushing facility, a new hospital, a new Anne Carlsen (Center) campus, explosive growth at Agri-Cover and the University of Jamestown and many more to come in the near future," he said. "Jamestown and Stutsman County residents, you are respected across the state of North Dakota for what you have done and your 'never-say-die' attitude. It is this investment and mindset that has brought Midco to Jamestown to further connect and enhance our community."
Midco's forward-thinking dedication to customers across North Dakota and the Northern Plains continues to open new opportunities for businesses and consumers in rural areas, said Rick Collin, southwest regional representative for Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., who read a letter signed by the senator.
"This ongoing commitment to infrastructure investment is bringing tomorrow's technology to more and more customers every day," he said.
Midco was granted a franchise agreement in 2021 with the city of Jamestown to construct, maintain and operate a telecommunication system for use in the city. Midco offers internet services, home phone and a variety of cable and streaming options.
Midco's $30 million project consists of 420,000 feet of underground construction, said Cole Mack, vice president of field engineering and construction for Midco.
"When this is all said and done, we will have about 110 new miles of new fiber infrastructure that will be installed throughout the community," he said.
Midco's construction team, Rhino Contracting Inc., is working in northeast Jamestown and going southwest. Mack said the intent is to keep the project to a three-year build.
Once the build is complete, more than 9,500 homes and businesses in Jamestown will have access to Midco services. The company plans to have some customers online by the end of June.
Midco has an operations center located at 802 13th St. NE in Jamestown. Midco also purchased property near Jamestown Regional Airport that feeds all of the communication signals to Jamestown and houses its equipment.
Mattern touted Midco's staff and customer service. He said Midco wants to ensure customers understand the technology and are comfortable using it.
Potential customers can set appointments in 15-minute time slots when they want Midco workers to come into their homes as services are added to the area. Mattern said a Midco employee will be at a customer's home in the 15-minute time slot and the company understands the value of people's time.
