By Taylor J. Hale
Special to the Gazette

STEVENS POINT — A motion was unanimously passed at the Finance Committee meeting on Dec. 10, to proceed with an agreement with TDS Telecom to extend a commercial fiber-optic network to the Stevens Point area.

TDS already offers services in Mosinee, Sun Prairie and other surrounding regions, extending diversity to an otherwise monopolized industry.

“We were looking for a location that wanted something like this,” said TDS Senior Vice President of Corporate Affairs Andrew Petersen.

The new internet service provider would give locals an option other than AT&T and Spectrum. They also surpass their counterparts’ bandwidth speeds, offering an impressive gigabit download and upload rate, approximately 10-times that of other providers. The agreement would also allow citizens to utilize TDS TV and phone services. Petersen believes that the company will bring employment to the area and stimulate e-commerce.

“We want to help growth in the area,” Petersen explained. “Jobs will be created once things start moving. All of our talks with the city have been very positive.”

Negotiations with TDS and the city started near the beginning of this fall. The deal, if passed, would take an estimated 12-18 months to undertake. TDS is a Madison-based Fortune 500 company.

The motion will go in front of Common Council on Dec. 17 for final approval.