TCC has been certified as GIG-Capable by NTCA – The National Broadband Association, for our strong and reliable network, which has been certified to support speeds up to 1 Gigabit per second to users. Our Gig-Capable certification comes largely from our Fiber to the Home build-out from a few years ago.
How and why did we seek this certification?
TCC reached out to NTCA to test our network to see if we could be certified as Gig-Capable. Our network was thoroughly tested and it was verified being able to reliably transmit data at speeds of at least 1 Gigabit per second (1,000 Megabits per second).
Becoming Gig-Capable was a process and a plan involving our management, our Board of Directors, engineers, staff, and the needs of our communities. Why did we pursue this certification? We always believed in our network and its performance, but we wanted to verify it with an outside agency for official recognition in our communities and among our peers in the telecommunications industry. We want to be able to promote being Gig-Capable in order to expand and advance opportunities using broadband in our area. We want people to know they can move here, build here, and establish a business here because we have the broadband to support them!
What Does Our GIG-Capable Certification Mean for You?
It means you can rely on our network for all of your Internet needs. We will have the speed available whether you upload and download videos, stream movies, play online games, tele-work, or just host a lot of devices.
It also means you’re dealing with a company that has been proactive in building a fast and reliable network, not waiting until we were playing catch-up. We want to provide you with the speed you need today and tomorrow.
And it means your community has the network to attract all types of employers and meet their network needs; we’ve already connected area employers including Ashley Furniture, Global Finishing Solutions, and Gold ‘N Plump as well as eight school districts.
What Is Fiber?
Fiber optics (aka “fiber”) are super thin glass tubes (like human hairs) which carry data at much higher rates than the traditional copper lines that have carried phone, Internet, and cable traffic for decades. We first built up our network between our towns and then started a vast project to plow and connect fiber to every home and business in our traditional telephone area, where we only had copper “twisted pair” lines serving customers.
We have completed this project so customers in the Eleva, Strum, Independence, Northfield, Pigeon Falls, and Pleasantville areas now have fiber to the home, connecting their TCC services. Customers in the rest of our serving area are served by a mix of fiber optics and cable coax, which also has a very high capacity for data.
What Are the Benefits of Fiber?
Bandwidth Capacity
Fiber optics have amazing capacity to carry data. Our network is currently engineered for and certified to up to 1 Gigabit per second connections for the best speed in the area - that's 1,000 Megabits per second! With fiber optics, you also get symmetrical bandwidth -- same speeds upstream and downstream. Symmetrical bandwidth is critical for most businesses and gamers who need to send just as much data as they receive.
Due to its increased capacity, you can connect more devices at the same time - or more devices that require more bandwidth than others - all without conflict, collision, and interference among your devices.
Fiber is also considered "future proof" since it is capable of such high speeds. Typically, the servers and data links connecting the provider to the rest of the world determine the speed limit, not the fiber. With traditional "cable" and "dsl" networks, the actual cable itself (cable coax or twisted pair copper) determined the top speed as they had lower limits.
Better Reliability
Fiber is not susceptible to issues from extreme heat and cold like traditional cable because there is no metal to expand or contract when the temperature changes. Glass doesn't change and the data is sent as signals of light, not electric current. Fiber is also not susceptible to water damage like copper connections in the event that a connector or shielding is compromised. Likewise, fiber optics are not conductors for electricity like copper cabling so they are less likely to be affected by lightning and power surges.
All of this means there are fewer things to reduce the reliability of fiber.
Increased Productivity
Symmetrical bandwidth means businesses have the upstream bandwidth they need to conduct business without slowdowns created by the limits of their connections. When your technology gets in the way, your productivity goes down. Plus, fast and dependable service means you can do more from large down/uploads to clear voice and video services to dependable VPN connections.
Improved Wi-Fi Performance
When your Internet is faster and more reliable coming into your building, it is also faster and more reliable inside your building. Technology is complicated enough without adding more hurdles to your Internet service. And Wi-Fi adds another layer of complexity by communicating with your devices wirelessly. Wi-Fi performance will be at its best when it is unhindered from the start.
Expansion Projects
TCC is continuing to expand our Fiber in the area by working with towns to apply for government grants to extend our fiber to all of the available properties in approved towns. Thus far, expansion projects include towns of Alma, Drammen, Naples, and Pleasant Valley, and Newcomb Valley near Arcadia. Towns are chosen based on areas unserved or underserved with fast and reliable service. Each expansion project involves contacting and meeting with every property owner, plowing fiber drops to each home, and (if requested) connecting TCC services.