Kinetic Commits $250,000 Fiber Upgrade to Tornado-Ravaged Greenfield, Iowa

GREENFIELD, Iowa--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Due to the extensive damage done by a May 21, 2024, tornado across Adair County, there's a long road ahead to make this community whole again, which is why Kinetic is investing $250,000 to replace destroyed communications infrastructure with a buried fiber optic solution.

This effort will bring more than 28,500 feet (about 5.4 miles) of new fiber to more than 320 Greenfield locations. There is no cost to the state, the county, Greenfield or Kinetic customers.

This investment will add to the already existing 10,600 feet (about 2 miles) of Kinetic fiber optic cable in the area. Kinetic's Iowa-based fiber network, about 12,400 miles, is 16 times larger than the total length of Iowa's 782 miles of federal interstates.

"Kinetic's generous investment to replace and upgrade Greenfield's fiber infrastructure not only helps this community rebuild, it also intends to fast-track construction, restoring service and providing a sense of normalcy as soon as possible while recovery efforts continue," said Governor Kim Reynolds. "I'm grateful to Kinetic for prioritizing this project and making a difference for the people of Greenfield."

In the aftermath of severe storms, Kinetic prioritizes rapid internet restoration, leveraging a vast network of over 489,000 miles of cable and the dedication of more than 3,000 technicians across 18 states. This approach ensures that communities don't need to wait weeks for essential services. Despite challenges in placing fiber everywhere due to cost and time, Kinetic always looks at options to expand its high-speed fiber internet. Various other projects across the nation are underway to upgrade underserved areas to fiber, enhancing access to essential services and fostering local economic growth.

A Symbol of Rapid Response and Recovery

In the hours following the tornado, Kinetic assembled a disaster response team of engineers, communicators, customer service representatives, field employees and technicians to work with local authorities and utility companies to assess and evaluate damages while also developing solutions to withstand nature's toughest encounters in the future.

An engineering process of this magnitude typically takes multiple months, but Kinetic routed an engineering plan for approval in just days, according to Rich Murtha, Kinetic's senior vice president of Outside Plant Engineering & Construction and a former U.S. Marine with experience working as a FEMA disaster specialist. The team's engineering plan was approved by the city in about two weeks.

A formal ceremony will be planned in the future and will include local officials, but engineers are not waiting on the formalities while work started in late June. As recovery and clean-up concludes, construction of the 28,500 feet of fiber has an expected completion as soon as August. Once the fiber optic broadband service launches, customers will experience symmetrical download and upload speeds along with enhanced security benefits.

"I am thrilled to see Kinetic's commitment to investing $250,000 to upgrade our hometown's damaged infrastructure with fiber. The decision to bury fiber optic cables will not only provide better weather resilience, but also ensure 99.9% reliability and blazing fast speeds for our residents," said State Rep. Ray Sorensen (Iowa-R). "With the addition of 28,500 new feet of fiber in Greenfield, this investment will undoubtedly have a positive impact on our town's economy, bringing reliable and high-speed internet to our residents and businesses."

Build Back Better - A Kinetic Commitment

After assessing the destruction of the town's communications infrastructure, the team quickly identified the need to transition to a more sustainable, buried fiber optic network.

"In the tornado's aftermath, it's not just about rebuilding. It's about reimagining a stronger, safer, and more sustainable community," said Brad Hedrick, Kinetic's Midwest regional president. "Our private investment in this community demonstrates we are a partner investing in the long-term spirit of this community, its people, and its future opportunity to be a gigabit community. I want to convey to every single resident of Greenfield, we're with you. We've been with you since before the storm, and we'll continue to be here as we rebuild together. I hope that by burying fiber, it shows our dedication to not only restore but significantly improve the quality of life and economic prosperity of the area."

Buried cables in some communities are inherently better protected against the elements than other technologies, reducing the opportunity for loss of service, even in the face of future storms or natural disasters. Kinetic will use its "resi-plow" technology to increase efficiency, speed and quality of installation while minimizing impacts on the environment, the city, and local property. The company has invested $2 million in the technology, which also enables faster repairs and reduces downtime if the fiber is damaged.

"We're already making progress on rebuilding the destroyed infrastructure with the highest multi-gigabit fiber available," Murtha said. "In the hours after the storm, we had technicians on-site helping to make repairs and place temporary solutions to connect customers to the world. And I'm happy to say that working with the city, and other officials, within two weeks, we've initiated and received approval for our plans, and now are within sight of our permits to begin fiber burial."

A New Chapter for Kinetic and Greenfield

With this upgrade, more Greenfield residents will be eligible for faster internet speeds. Fiber is more reliable than other technologies, experiences fewer outages, and doesn't slow down when more people use it in the same way cable or fixed wireless does. It's also not dependent on weather conditions, like satellite internet.

"I'm incredibly proud of our leads who made this happen, Haley Sandberg and Wes Dorset. They took this matter personally. They've been the vital component to Greenfield's broadband reconstruction plan," said Anthony Webster, Kinetic engineering senior director. "In a natural disaster, utility providers in general rise to a higher level when residents' livelihood depends on us. We're honored to be playing a small part in this community's new chapter."

"Our hearts go out to the residents of Greenfield as they navigate the road to recovery that they have ahead of them," said Barry Bishop, Kinetic's senior vice president for Field Operations. "Our commitment starts right here, with providing one of the nation's fastest and most affordable broadband solutions to our communities when they need it most. I hope our customers have seen that this is a new Kinetic; we're a local provider with employees in the community. We were there before the storm, we were there cleaning up after the storm, and we'll be there for the long haul."

Aerial vs Buried Cable

Replacing infrastructure immediately after a storm all comes down to time and access. Fiber takes time to place underground, and it is expensive. So, while technicians work to restore service rapidly and safely, there's a constant balancing act to get essential service up and running.

"As you can imagine, these families and communities have been traumatized," said Murtha. "The last thing these folks need is to wait for permits or supplies to be readily available. So, through our staging supply chains around the country, we rapidly responded to Mother Nature. During this whole process, the city and local authorities have been great to work with."

Customers experiencing outages are encouraged to report them via the GoKinetic app.

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About Kinetic: Kinetic, a Windstream company, offers fiber-based broadband to residential and small business customers in 18 states. The company's quality-first approach connects customers to new opportunities and possibilities by delivering a full suite of advanced communications services. Kinetic is one of three brands managed by Windstream. The company also offers managed cloud communications and security services to mid-to-large enterprises and government entities across the U.S. as well as customized wavelength and dark fiber solutions to carriers, content providers and hyperscalers in the U.S. and Canada. Windstream is a privately held company headquartered in Little Rock, Ark. Additional information about Kinetic is available at www.gokinetic.com or windstream.com.

Category: Kinetic

Source: Windstream Holdings

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