Local broadband provider celebrates service milestone on the company’s 75th anniversary
At its recent 75th anniversary celebration, United Communications announced it reached another milestone by officially surpassing 50,000 “passings,” or eligible properties, served by its growing fiber network spanning more than 1,700 route miles.
United was originally founded in 1947 as United Telephone Company, a rural cooperative created to fulfill the promise of universal telephone service in Middle Tennessee. 75 years later, while cutting-edge fiber optics have replaced copper lines, the company’s mission is still focused on enriching its communities and the lives of its neighbors through reliable connections and passionate service.
Through an initiative called Project UNITE, the broadband provider is working with local governments, community groups, and businesses to connect every rural home and business in the region with high-speed internet service.
“50,000 passings is a great start to bridge the digital divide in rural Middle Tennessee,” said William Bradford, President and CEO of United Communications. “And with the support of our neighboring communities, we’re rapidly moving forward with the next 50,000 passings to make sure no one is left behind.”
“As we celebrate two major milestones, we’re reminded of what has made United successful over our 75-year history,” Bradford added. “Our local roots and our teams’ enduring commitment to excellent customer service have made United the company it is today. Those same values will determine our future as a trusted internet provider.”
In September, the state announced it would award United Communications with six grants totaling $53.4 million to invest in rural broadband infrastructure through the Tennessee Emergency Broadband Fund.
The awards will support United’s broadband expansion projects in portions of Bedford, Franklin, Giles, Lincoln, Marshall, Maury, Moore, and Williamson Counties.
With two office locations, Chapel Hill and Franklin, United is building upon an existing network of over 1,700 route miles of fiber backbone in Middle Tennessee to supply high-speed internet, Wi-Fi, digital TV, and digital phone service for residential customers and businesses across the region.
About United Communications
United Communications is a leading provider of internet, digital TV, and phone services to enterprise-class businesses and residential customers in Middle Tennessee. United is recognized as a 2022 Top 100 Fiber-To-The-Home Leader, a Smart Rural Community Provider℠, a “Fastest Internet Service Provider” by BroadbandNow, and the winner of the 2021 Broadband Communities Cornerstone Award, which honors the most notable deployments of Fiber-to-the-Home in the U.S. and abroad. United operates approximately 1,700 route miles of fiber covering portions of Williamson, Rutherford, Marshall, Bedford, Franklin, Wilson, and Davidson counties. United Communications is a service of Middle Tennessee Electric Membership Corporation. To learn more, please visit united.net.
