U.S. Sen. John Thune visits South Dakota's Golden West project, touts value of rural broadband infrastructure

Aug. 31—ARMOUR — Surrounded by corn fields on a gravel road 10 miles northwest of Armour, Sen. John Thune made an appearance Tuesday to learn about Golden West's efforts to expand fiber optic internet infrastructure in rural areas across South Dakota.

Golden West's Fiber to the Home (FTTH) initiative is a multi-million-dollar project that kicked off in 2007, aiming to bring faster, more reliable internet access to underserved communities and rural areas across their coverage area — which ranges from far eastern Wyoming to the near Minnesota border — by replacing thousands of miles of copper line with advanced fiber optic line.

The site Thune visited is part of the initiative's Armour area project, which will run new line capable of one gigabit per second upload and download speeds to almost every home in the city's zip code.

"When I was growing up in Murdo, we had one TV station — maybe when I was a freshman in high school we got an NBC affiliate," Thune said. "People now, in places like Murdo, literally have access to the world. It's because of this kind of investment."

In addition to his role as the Senate minority whip, Thune also serves as a ranking member of the Subcommittee on Communications, Media and Broadband, and has sponsored or co-sponsored many bills aiming to increase internet infrastructure across the country.

Thune's most recent bill, the Rural Connectivity Advancement Program Act of 2021, aims to create a fund from spectrum auctions and would require the Federal Communications Commission to address gaps in rural broadband coverage, among other priorities.

"We've worked hard the last few years, pushing the FCC both through legislation and through authorities they already have to make this kind of investment in rural areas," Thune said, "and it's really paying off."

Golden West's FTTH initiative began in early 2007 and, according to their website, has managed to upgrade approximately 70% of the company's customers, so far. This year's focus lies on areas in and around Armour, Canistota, Springfield, Pine Ridge and more.

Denny Law, general manager and CEO of Golden West, said the Armour project's price tag comes in at about $7 million, but emphasized that the investments are well worth it when factoring in the long-term benefits.

"Construction is the most expensive aspect of all of this," Law said. "Our anticipation is, at a minimum, this fiber will be in service for at least 30 years. I feel very comfortable in 40, or quite frankly 50 years, that this fiber will still be workable."

The fiber being laid is expected to be capable of carrying higher speeds as internet technology evolves. According to Law, advancing internet speeds typically involves working on the electronics at area substations, and doesn't require replacement of the line itself.

Typically, the only time Golden West has to replace their lines is when it sustains some type of damage — whether it's from weather, improper digging or even animals.

"You're a South Dakota boy, you're familiar with the little critters that like to dig in our land," Law told Thune as Thune inspected a rubber jacket exposed on a stripped down cable. "Everything is armor loaded so they can't chew through that."

Having a senator like Thune, who can relate to the necessity for rural broadband access, is important to Golden West and it's subscribers, Law said.

"I think with Thune's background as a rural South Dakotan, he understands, firsthand, the benefits for everyone that broadband access in rural parts has," Law said. "Its leading edge tech — it will position our communities for significant future success."

Thune said that while he's recognized the success of expanded access, there's always more work to be done.

"The job's never done," Thune said, "but boy are we making some huge strides forward in terms of getting people in SD served with a quality of service that is second to none and comparable to any populated area in the country."

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