Mediacom Communications Unveils Public-Private Partnership to Expand High-Speed Internet Availability in St. Louis County, MN
Fiber-to-the-premises project will deliver broadband services to all homes and businesses in Lakewood Township
Town of Lakewood, Duluth, MN - July 11, 2022 — Officials in Lakewood Township and St. Louis County announced a new public-private partnership with Mediacom Communications that will result in the construction of a 60-mile fiber-optic network offering ultra-high-speed fiber broadband services to homes and businesses throughout Lakewood Township.
The fiber-to-the-premises project will make broadband internet service with symmetrical, Gigabit speeds available to over 1,200 existing homes and businesses throughout the township.
The total project will cost approximately $3.7 million. St. Louis County is allocating $345,000 through Broadband Grant dollars towards the project and Lakewood Township is providing an additional $50,000 of its ARPA dollars. Mediacom is supplying the remaining $3.3 million with its own private capital. Construction of the 60-mile fiber-optic network will start this month and is expected to take two years. Most of the network will be placed underground.
“For Lakewood Township residents and businesses this is a monumental opportunity. Access to reliable and economically feasible broadband for Lakewood Township residents and businesses has become a necessity for access to education, employment, health care and livelihood” said Lakewood Township Board Supervisor and Board Chair Diane Holliday-Welsh.
“In Lakewood Township it is estimated that 95% of our Township is unserved or underserved. This opportunity with St. Louis County and partnership with Mediacom significantly reduces the Lakewood gap. On behalf of Lakewood Township, we applaud the intentional focus of the St. Louis County Planning Department, County Board, Commissioner Keith Musolf (rep. Lakewood) and each Commissioner on resolving the underserved and unserved broadband issue across the County,” said Holliday-Welsh.
“Mediacom is working on multiple fronts to close the digital divide, and we’re proud to make this investment to benefit residents in Lakewood Township,” said Mediacom Area Operations Director Jason Janesich. “Local leaders in the township and St. Louis County have prioritized the need for all residents to have access to reliable and affordable broadband, and their commitment to a public-private partnership will meet that need with an extensive, fiber-to-the-premises network offering gigabit-speed broadband.”
About Mediacom Communications
Mediacom Communications Corporation is the 5th largest cable operator in the United States and the leading gigabit broadband provider to smaller markets primarily in the Midwest and Southeast. Through its fiber-rich network, Mediacom offers high-speed data, video, phone, and mobile services to over 3 million households and businesses across 22 states. The company delivers scalable broadband solutions to commercial and public-sector customers of all sizes through Mediacom Business and sells advertising and production services under the OnMedia brand. More information about Mediacom is available at mediacomcable.com.